Sony-Honda electric car firm formally established with first EV set to go on sale in 2025
Tech and automotive giants will work together on cars and technology.
Sony and Honda have formally established a new company that will produce US-built electric cars.
The two firms signed a memorandum of understanding earlier in the year but have now officially formed Sony Honda Mobility Inc, shortened to SHM.
Tech giant Sony is best known for its home electronics, including games consoles and TVs, so it was a surprise when it revealed an almost-production-ready EV – the Vision-S electric saloon – at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2020. It showed a second model in January 2022 – the Vision S 02 – as an electric SUV.
The roots of the new company are based around offering greater digital and physical services to customers, with the firm saying it will ‘provide a new service beyond product sales and aftersales’.
Its first model is set to go on sale before the end of 2025, with production taking place at one of Honda’s factories in North America. First deliveries will begin in the United States in spring 2026, then Japan in the second half of 2026. There’s been no word on the model being sold in Europe.
SHM says it will build the brand around three things – autonomy, augmentation and affinity.
Its products will offer ‘Level 3 automated drive under limited conditions’, while a new cloud-based infotainment system will be used that promises to ‘realise entertainment beyond driving’. All models will be primarily sold online, too.
Its first model is set to be unveiled on January 4, just ahead of CES, with the brand revealing a teaser video of the model.
