Earlier this year, Sony announced plans to build electric cars in partnership with Honda. The companies have signed a joint development and manufacturing agreement that will see their first electric vehicle launched in 2025. The cars will be sold in the United States and Japan. Honda will manufacture the cars at its twelve North American plants. Sony will provide underlying technology and software for the cars. Honda and Sony will develop a new company called Sony Honda Mobility Inc. which will be responsible for developing and designing the cars. The company will have its headquarters in Tokyo. Sony and Honda will each invest $35 million into the venture.
About Sony
Sony is an electronics company with extensive experience in imaging and telecommunication technologies. They have also developed the PlayStation game console. Sony has been looking into electric cars for several years, but until now, they have not officially announced a plan. However, their chief executive told Bloomberg Businessweek that the company’s first car would be a high-end model with entertainment features. He also said that customers will have to pay to access the entertainment content. That means the car industry will move to a service model where customers will pay on a subscription basis for software downloads and entertainment.
Honda-Sony Joint Venture
Honda has an extensive history of building high-quality cars. It has been slow to adopt new ideas in the EV space. However, the Honda-Sony joint venture could be a great opportunity for both companies. Honda has decades of car-building experience and expertise and can provide Sony with a platform to deliver on its promise.
Moreover, Honda will also be able to take advantage of Sony’s world-class understanding of technology and manufacturing. Honda has been developing autonomous cars for several years and has already demonstrated the capability to make cars that can drive themselves. Sony is likely to be able to apply some of the lessons learned from PlayStation 5’s haptic controllers to develop a controller that sends sensory input to the car.
Sony Honda Mobility Inc
Sony’s CEO says that the company plans to design a high-end model with entertainment features that will charge for the entertainment content. The company has already built a relationship with several major suppliers and manufacturers. They have also visited Honda’s factory in Ohio. They will also have to finalize a joint development and manufacturing agreement.
Sony has content, services, and entertainment technologies that move people. We are adapting these assets to mobility, and this is our strength against Tesla,
The new company will introduce built-in Playstation 5 into its electric vehicles. Tesla also announced something similar, Tesla Model S could play both Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3.
The new company will combine Honda’s environmental technologies and vehicle body manufacturing with Sony’s sensing and imaging technologies. They will also combine Honda’s safety technologies with Sony’s mobility development and planning experience. The company will be formed by the end of this year. The company will also need to be approved by regulatory agencies.
Honda will contribute decades of car-building experience and expertise to the new company. Honda will also provide manufacturing facilities and a software platform for the cars. However, Sony will be responsible for developing the cars’ software and will be responsible for providing entertainment content. The vehicles will also be able to be connected to a network to provide entertainment to the car’s drivers. Moreover, the cars could be built on a platform from GM or another company. The vehicles could be available for sale in the United States in early 2025. Customers will be able to order cars online.
Masab Farooque is a Tech Geek, Writer, and Founder at The Panther Tech. He is also a lead game developer at 10StaticStudios.
When he is not writing, he is mostly playing video games