In what appears to be an unexpected development, Sony and Honda have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a new joint venture (JV) company—through which the Japanese giants plan to jointly develop and sell battery electric vehicles, in addition to offering mobility services.
I said unexpected because Sony teamed up with Magna Steyr to develop the Vision-S and the Vision-S 02 prototypes, and it was assumed that if Sony seriously considers selling EVs at any point, it would hire Magna Steyr as a contract manufacturer. Not to mention that along with the SUV prototype, Sony announced at the CES 2022 that it would establish a new Sony Mobility Inc. division later this year.
But anyway, both companies have decided to move forward with establishing a JV later this year, post regulatory approvals. This alliance aims to bring together Honda’s mobility development, vehicle body manufacturing and after-sales service expertise with Sony’s expertise in imaging, sensing, telecommunication, network, and entertainment technologies.
The official statement didn’t mention anything with regards to the aforementioned Sony Mobility Inc. division, nor there’s clarity on the branding of the upcoming EVs. However, the joint statement said the first model is gonna be sold under the new JV in 2025 (expected). The statement also added that Honda is gonna be responsible for manufacturing the first EV model at one of its manufacturing plants.
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