At the beginning of the year, we announced the opening of negotiations between car manufacturer Honda and Sony aimed at creating a joint venture dedicated to the production of connected electric vehicles. A few months later, the two Japanese giants formalized Sony Honda Mobility, based in Tokyo and equally owned with an initial investment of some 70 million euros.
Sony Honda Mobility’s goal is to “to engage in the joint development and sale of high value-added electric vehicles while providing increased mobility services”. Sony Honda Mobility now announces that its first car will be unveiled in Las Vegas in January 2023, just before the famous Consumer Electronic Show on January 5.
In a video, the firm gives a very light glimpse of the car, highlighting the hood and a door edge. Using its production expertise, Honda will take over the manufacture of the vehicles. Sony will contribute its know-how in digital services and a large part of on-board communication technologies.
Pre-orders for the new car are expected to begin as early as early 2025, with sales starting before the end of the same year. The car will be manufactured at Honda’s North American plant, with the United States being the first to receive the car from Sony Honda Mobility in the spring of 2026. Whether the vehicle makes it to Europe — which is still under discussion at the direction — it won’t be until 2027.
The joint venture claims to focus on three pillars: autonomy, augmentation and affinity. Level 3 autonomous driving is indeed a brand objective, with the possibility for the driver to let go of the steering wheel and detach from driving. The increase concerns the infotainment offer developed by Sony, while the affinity is to create an interactive mobility company “to facilitate after-sales”, according to the manufacturer. We can clearly see that Sony’s ambition is also to promote its multimedia offer, the automobile being a new way for the manufacturer to diversify its industry.
Sony has already announced its intention to become an automotive brand by unveiling its concept car Vision S 02 at CES 2023. This 4.85 m long seven-seater SUV prototype is powered by two electric motors with a total output of 563 hp. Battery technology, size and battery life were not disclosed.
Images of the Vision S 02 interior reveal a similar design to the brand’s original Vision-S concept, with a full-width high-definition screen instead of a conventional dashboard, and screens on the sills header for second row passengers. There is also a rotary dial in the middle of the third row, which could allow passengers in the sixth and seventh rows to control audio or media functions. It remains to be seen whether Sony Honda Mobility’s new electric car will be inspired by the Vision S 02 or not.
Commenting on the announcement of the new company, Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said: “We are delighted to have met a partner, Honda, which has extensive global know-how and to sign the joint venture agreement between the two companies. In the future, we want to contribute to the evolution of mobility by combining the advanced technologies of Honda […] with our expertise in imaging, sensing, telecommunications, network and entertainment technologies.”