It has been one of the most important surprises of the week, Sony and Honda have confirmed an agreement between the two that will aim to develop and sell electric cars. Although the agreement is limited to both companies, the two have confirmed that they are “open to the entry of other partners”.
In an official statement, Sony and Honda have said they would form a joint venture this year, which would aim to start sell your first car sometime in 2025. The distribution of tasks that both companies will face will be as expected: Honda will be in charge of manufacturing the car, while Sony will develop the service platform and everything related to mobility.
Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida commented:
“In this joint venture, we would like to leading the evolution of mobility combining our technology and expertise with Honda’s longstanding experience in developing mobility and car body manufacturing technologies.”
It is clear that both companies are aware of what they can contribute, and the truth is that the joint work of Sony and Honda could have very good results applied to a car, especially now that the technological side represents one of the most important faces of any current vehicle, especially in the case of those that use electric motors.
Financial details of this joint venture have not been revealed, but it has been revealed Sony’s first prototype, known as the Vision-S. The design of this prototype follows the lines that we are seeing in numerous brands, especially in Asian ones, such as the South Korean Kia or the Japanese Toyota, with flatter headlights and a design with markedly futuristic nuances.
Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe was the one to confirm that they are open to allowing other companies in, and said he hopes they can expand their business in the future by keeping an open mind. However, he also stated that Honda will continue to develop its own electric cars independentlyand away, from this joint venture that includes, for now, Sony.
Cover photo: Reuters.
