Japanese electronics brand Sony and carmaker Honda are teaming up to create a new car brand, focusing on making and selling electric vehicles. The two announced the news on Friday, stating that the first goal is to establish the new company and then begin sales of an all-new vehicle by 2025.
Forget big-screen TVs, cameras, and the PlayStation 5. Instead, Sony wants to sell you a car next. The company hasn’t been quiet about that goal, either, as it showed off a Sony concept vehicle back in 2020 and another concept car and SUV at CES earlier this year. And while we’re unsure what this partnership means for those aspirations, the company is making moves.
It’s unclear precisely what the two popular brands have in mind, but the official announcement shed a little light on the situation. Each company will do what it does best, then combine the two into what will hopefully be a successful electric vehicle.
The new joint company will handle the vehicle’s design, development, and sales, but Honda will be in charge of manufacturing the new electric vehicle at its current Honda facilities. On the flip side, Sony will develop an enhanced “mobility service platform” covering image sensors, telecommunications, and entertainment.
Honda’s CEO Toshihiro Mibe said, “the new company aims to stand at the forefront of innovation while expanding mobility around the world by taking a broad and ambitious approach to creating value that exceeds the expectations and imagination of customers.” He further went on to say that while “Sony and Honda are companies that share many historical and cultural similarities, our areas of technological expertise are very different. Therefore, I believe this alliance which brings together the strengths of our two companies offers great possibilities for the future of mobility.”
The currently unnamed joint venture will need to clear a few regulatory hurdles, but once it does, expect an official name unveiling followed by additional plans on its first EV. Honda and Sony plan to form the new company in 2022 and immediately start working on their first electric vehicle together, with sales scheduled for early 2025.
via The Verge
