Sony and Honda to manufacture EVs together

Shake hands on MoU for Strategic Alliance in Mobility Field

Published on 05 Mar 2022

When Sony debuted the Vision S at CES 2022, many questioned as to how would a consumer electronics firm enter automotive manufacturing. The answer has since been revealed, namely through partnership with Honda. Sony and Honda have signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining their venture to set up a new company together, which will engage in the joint development and sales of high value-added battery electric vehicles and commercialize them, in conjunction with providing mobility services.

This new company is expected to commence sales of their first EV in 2025 - that's just three years away! Whilst the new company, which is yet to be named, will engage in planning, designing, developing and selling EVs, it will not perform one crucial step, and that is manufacturing. It's expected that Honda will undertake the manufacturing stage at one its plants, based on a mobility service platform developed by Sony for the new company.

Kenichiro Yoshida, Representative Corporate Executive Officer, Chairman, President and CEO, Sony Group Corporation said, “Sony’s Purpose is to ‘fill the world with emotion through the power of creativity and technology.’ Through this alliance with Honda, which has accumulated extensive global experience and achievements in the automobile industry over many years and continues to make revolutionary advancements in this field, we intend to build on our vision to ‘make the mobility space an emotional one,’ and contribute to the evolution of mobility centered around safety, entertainment and adaptability.”

Toshihiro Mibe, Director, President, Representative Executive Officer and CEO, Honda Motor Co., Ltd said, “The New Company will aim to stand at the forefront of innovation, evolution, and expansion of mobility around the world, by taking a broad and ambitious approach to creating value that exceeds the expectations and imagination of customers. 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. Although 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.”