Thursday saw the formal launch of a new electric vehicle company founded by two major Japanese corporations, Honda and Sony. The joint venture Sony Honda Mobility Inc.’s. will develop and market Sony and Honda EV. The first electric cars will be on sale in 2025, with deliveries beginning in the U.S. in early 2026 and in Japan later that year. Pre-orders will start in the first half of 2025, the company’s CEO Yasuhide Mizuno told reporters.
In March, Sony Group Corp. and Honda decided to establish a 50/50 joint venture. The idea was to combine Honda’s experience in automobiles, mobility technology, and sales with Sony’s competence in image, network, sensor, and entertainment.
Production will occur at one of Honda’s 12 U.S. factories. However, the partnering firms did not publish information such as cost, platform, and battery type. The production amount was likewise not disclosed, although officials stated that this was a limited edition model not meant for general distribution.
According to Honda Motor Co.’s Mizuno, the partnership combines hardware and software to offer an emotionally rewarding driving experience.
Mizuno told reporters in Tokyo that they needed completely different strategy. “We intend to make this entirely fresh.”
The US is picked as the launch location
The United States was picked as the launch location since electric vehicles are already prevalent there. Japan came in second as Honda’s home market, and he stated that other areas, including Europe, will follow, but no dates have been specified.
Izumi Kawanishi, the Sony official who assumed the role of chief operating officer at Sony Mobility, stated that the initiative will add partners.
The experts anticipate the global demand for “zero-emissions” automobiles to increase due to climate change and environmental concerns.
Sony, made a household name with the PlayStation video game system and has operations in the film and music industries. The company introduced the electric car idea at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas two years ago. Since then they were anxious to find an auto partner.
Honda offers electric vehicles in its portfolio, although not as many as competitors Ford Motor Company and Nissan Motor Co. Tokyo-based Honda and General Motors have partnered to share platforms for electric vehicles in North America, although the vehicles are not yet on sale.
