San-Ei announced via press release that an “e-Sports Experience” event will be hosted at the prestigious Tokyo Auto Salon later this month.
The event will feature two popular games, Gran Turismo 7 and Street Fighter 6, and aims to match esports and car culture. Specifically, the aim is to provide a new experience that transcends generations, “allowing car enthusiasts to enjoy a new way of enjoying the event and game enthusiasts to experience the charm of car culture.”
The stage events include Japan’s top esports race (in terms of prize money, with a total of 5 million yen offered, which translates into over $31,000), and special tournaments gathering professional gamers, streamers, and popular cosplayers.
Incidentally, among the participants we’ll see Takuma Miyazono, reigning Nations Cup champion of the Grand Turismo World Series.
Visitors will also be able to enjoy the games themselves via a time attack challenge on Gran Turismo 7 and a Street Fighter 6 demo station.
The schedule of the stage events will be as follows:
Saturday, January 11
- 10:00 – 11:00 A-class Special Tag Match featuring Gran Turismo 7
- 12:00 – 14:00 Tokyo Fight Salon 2025 featuring Street Fighter 6
- 15:00 – 16:15 e-DGMS Gran Turismo Offline Tournament @ Tokyo Auto Salon 2025 (tournament for Automotive Technician Training School Students)
- 17:30 – 18:30 e-D1 Grand Prix @ Tokyo Auto Salon 2025 featuring Gran Turismo 7
Sunday, January 12
- 10:00 – 10:50 Auto Salon Under 15 Grand Prix 2025 featuring Gran Turismo 7
- 10:50 – 12:30 auto sport CUP @ Tokyo Auto Salon 2025 featuring Gran Turismo 7
- 14:00 – 17:00 Autobacs Jegt Grand Prix 2024 SERIES Supported by Gran Turismo Round.Final @ Tokyo Auto Salon 2025 featuring Gran Turismo 7
The stage events will be livestreamed on the Tokyo Auto Salon’s official YouTube channel.
The Tokyo Auto Salon 2025 will happen at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba between January 10 and January 12, 2025. Funnily, it’s located in the adjacent prefecture to Tokyo and not within the city’s metropolitan area, despite the name of many events traditionally hosted at the venue, including Tokyo Game Show.
