Zoom / Vision-S 02 (left) and Vision-S 01 (right) are a pair of concept electric cars developed by Sony. The company is now joining Honda to create a range of electric cars.
Sony
On Friday, we learned that Honda and Sony are uniting for a strategic alliance. The two companies are setting up a new joint venture to design and sell a range of high-end electric vehicles and mobility services. The first EV should go on sale in 2025.
We got our first real look at Sony’s automotive ambitions when the consumer electronics giant used the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to showcase a concept car called the Vision-S. This remarkably sleek car was a showcase of four-wheel drive for Sony’s touch technology and had an interior that made it easy to consume Sony’s digital entertainment content.
Sony is working with traditional car suppliers such as Bosch, Continental and Magna Steyr on the concept, and we saw it again the following year in videos from the Vision-S test in Austria. Magna Steyr is well known in the automotive industry for its ability to contract vehicles for automakers, including BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota. Its factory is in Graz, Austria.
This move caused a lot of speculation and this January Sony returned to CES with two electric cars. The sedan was now called the Vision-S 01 and was joined by an SUV called the Vision-S 02. This time, Sony was a little clearer, saying it plans to set up a company called Sony Mobility in 2022 to study the entry of EV market.
Now these plans are much clearer and do not seem to include contract manufacturing in Austria, at least initially. Sony and Honda signed a memorandum of understanding to set up the joint venture later this year. Honda presents to the table the skills of an automotive company – vehicle body engineering and after-sales maintenance. Sony’s contribution will be the technology presented in the Vision-S concepts – electronics, sensors, networks and telecommunications. And the new company will not only produce electric cars; it will also “realize a new generation of mobility and services that are closely linked to consumers and the environment”.
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Zoom / Sony was more serious than we originally thought when it showed a number of Vision-S prototypes.
Sony
Through this alliance with Honda, which has accumulated extensive global experience and achievements in the automotive industry for many years and continues to make revolutionary achievements in this field, we intend to upgrade our vision to “make the space for mobility emotional” and contribute to the evolution of mobility focused on safety, fun and adaptability, ”said Kenichiro Yoshida, President and CEO of Sony Group.
“The new company will strive to be at the forefront of innovation, evolution and expanding mobility around the world by adopting a broad and ambitious approach to creating value that exceeds customer expectations and imagination,” said the president and CEO. Honda Toshihiro Mibe. “We will do this by using Honda’s state-of-the-art technology and know-how in terms of environment and safety, while coordinating the technological assets of both companies.
“Although Sony and Honda are companies that share many historical and cultural similarities, our areas of technological expertise are very different,” Mibe said. “That is why I believe that this union, which unites the strengths of our two companies, offers great opportunities for the future of mobility.
The new company will plan, design and sell the range of electric vehicles, but will not have its own factory. Instead, the first EV will be produced at one of Honda’s existing plants and is expected to go on sale in 2025.