Sony and Honda Motor announced today a joint venture agreement to sell electric vehicles (EVs) and provide mobility services. Today’s announcement is an advancement of the strategic alliance in the mobility sector announced in March this year.

The new company will aim to combine Honda’s cutting-edge environmental and safety technologies, mobility development capabilities, vehicle body manufacturing technology and after-sales service management experience, with Sony’s expertise in the development and application of imaging, sensing, telecommunication, network and entertainment technologies, to realize a new generation of mobility.

The companies plan to begin selling EVs in 2025. However, there are no specifics regarding vehicles or mobility services. 

Sony announced their VISION-S prototype electric car at CES 2020. The company has been doing public road, safety, imaging and sensing, human machine interface (HMI) testing of the VISION-S in Europe since December 2020. Sony also began 5G driving tests in April 2021.

“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. 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.”, said Sony Group CEO, Kenichiro Yoshida.

“Honda continues to take on new challenges in the environmental, safety, and other advanced fields in order to be a driving force for social change through mobility, and ‘become the power that supports people around the world who are trying to do things based on their own initiative.’ We are very pleased to have signed a joint venture agreement with Sony, which has strengths in advanced digital technology, and shares our desire to take on new challenges. Since its announcement in March, many people have expressed their expectations for this joint venture. At the new company, we will strive to create new value through the fusion brought about by the combination of our different industries, so please look forward to future developments.”, said Honda CEO, Toshihiro Mibe.