Just over a week after Sony and Honda announced their intention to form an independent electric vehicle manufacturing partnership, the two Japanese giants have revealed the name of the new company: Sony Honda Mobility Inc. According to a joint press release, each company would have a 50% share in the newly created enterprise.
Yasuhide Honda will serve as both chairman and CEO, while Izumi Kawanishi of Sony will serve as president and COO. Sony Honda Mobility Inc. will be created in Tokyo by the end of the year, and production car sales will begin in 2025.
“Based on our vision to ‘make the mobility space an emotional one,’ Sony’s initiatives in the mobility business are centered around the three areas of safety, entertainment and adaptability,” said Sony CEO Kenchiro Yoshida. “As we continue our learnings in these areas, we are excited to have met a partner, Honda, with extensive global achievements and knowledge, and to sign the joint venture agreement between the two companies.”
“Going forward, we aim to contribute to the evolution of mobility by combining Honda’s cutting-edge environmental and safety technologies, mobility development capabilities, vehicle body manufacturing technology and after-sales service management experience, with our expertise in imaging, sensing, telecommunication, network and entertainment technologies.”
Summary
Two of Japan’s most inventive companies have formed a joint venture to enter the EV industry. We already know that Sony has been working on the Vision S prototype in our previous piece; however, collaborating with Honda could literally bring the Vision S to life.
