► New company gets a name► Should use EV tech from Honda
► And infotainment tech shown in the Sony Vision S
Earlier this year Sony and Honda announced a new partnership to build EVs, and now it has a name. Called Sony Honda Mobility Inc, the company will fuse Honda’s automotive know-how with Sony’s imaging, sensing, network and entertainment tech. Add that all together, and the new company should be well equipped for where the automotive industry is heading.
‘Sony’s initiatives in the mobility business are centered around the three areas of safety, entertainment and adaptability,’ said Sony Group CEO Kenichiro Yoshida. ‘Going forward, we aim to contribute to the evolution of mobility by combining Honda’s cutting-edge environmental and safety technologies, mobility development capabilities, vehicle body manufacturing technology and after-sales service management experience, with our expertise in imaging, sensing, telecommunication, network and entertainment technologies.’
‘We are very pleased to have signed a joint venture agreement with Sony, which has strengths in advanced digital technology, and shares our desire to take on new challenges,’ added Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe. ‘At the new company, we will strive to create new value through the fusion brought about by the combination of our different industries, so please look forward to future developments.’
Production plans
The company plans to produce EVs by 2025, though it will not own manufacturing facilities and instead make use of Honda’s existing factories. Honda’s own electric car, the e, launched in 2020, but the brand’s been fairly quiet on the EV front before and since.
‘The New Company,’ Honda CEO Mibe said, ‘will aim to stand at the forefront of innovation, evolution and expansion of mobility around the world, by taking a broad and amitious approach… We will do so by leveraging Honda’s cutting-edge technology and know-how in relation to the environment and safety, while aligning the technological assets of both companies.
‘I believe this alliance which brings together the strengths of our two companies offers great possibilities for the future of mobility.’
The two companies are said to be open to bringing in new partners.
Keyword: Sony Honda Mobility: what you need to know