Earlier this year, Sony and Honda announced a partnership to make high-tech electric vehicles. The new company, dubbed Sony Honda Mobility Inc (SHM), will focus on developing and selling electric vehicles in the future, with the first cars to go on sale in 2026.
SHM will start taking orders for these vehicles in early 2025 and and go on sale early 2026. SHM plans to focus on online sales rather than direct sales at dealers as usual.
While Honda will focus on the development and production of vehicles, Sony itself will focus on developing the ecosystem around vehicles, which will include open communities and various digital products, some of which will be offered through a subscription mechanism. These digital products include entertainment services and perhaps some vehicle functions, such as self-driving capabilities.
Sony and Honda say that the vehicle will have Level 2 self-driving capability on the SAE scale, including for urban roads, with Sony providing imaging and sensing technology. However, this vehicle will still need the driver to monitor it at all times.
No further details have been confirmed regarding which vehicles SHM will launch. Previously, Sony had tested a prototype based on the Vision-S sedan concept that was first shown in 2020.
Sony also showed this year a prototype crossover dubbed the Vision-S 02. Both electric cars will be built on a modular EV platform made by Magna Steyr, the Austrian company that also supplies the platform for the Fisker Ocean.
Sony Honda Mobility Inc : electric vehicle joint venture between Honda and Sony
