By
Godfrey Benjamin
April 5th, 2024
While it remains unclear what their products will look like, their individual and combined capabilities speak for themselves.
Famed electronics giant Sony and renowned car manufacturer Honda are set to establish a joint company that’ll introduce another electric car maker to the world. The two Japanese industry giants have started a collaboration set to introduce their own electric cars to the market by 2025.
According to The Verge, this association capitalizes on Honda’s expertise as a car maker and marketer as well as Sony’s capabilities in producing image sensors, telecommunications, and entertainment infrastructure. Citing Kenichiro Yoshida, CEO of Sony, the tech giant strives to fill the world with emotion by leveraging creativity and technology.
He stated that his company and Honda are trying to contribute to the evolution of mobility on the foundation of safety, entertainment, and adaptability.
Per the report, the new company will not only design and manufacture but also sell electric cars. The companies would use their individual expertise and industry-based experience to try to achieve huge results in their new adventure. CNBC reports that despite their combined capacities, they will not own or operate manufacturing facilities.
Sony and Honda: Innovation, Evolution, and Expansion of Mobility
The Verge reports that although the design will be achieved by the new company, the first model will be Honda-manufactured. This means that Honda will manufacture parts of the destined car at their manufacturing site.
Honda CEO, Toshihiro Mibe, emphasized their joint commitment to becoming a global leader for innovation, evolution, and mobility expansion. The collaboration is a testament to Honda’s plans to transition into an electric car manufacturer as part of its 2040 efforts to wipe out gas-powered vehicles.
CNBC notes that this is not the first time Honda is working towards this goal as they have an on-going engagement with General Motors for another electric car development.
Sony will be in charge of the mobility service platform development. The electronics giant is an integral supplier for different parts globally, including but not limited to image sensors used in smartphones and gaming consoles. The same expertise has been extended to the automobile space where Sony actively designs image sensor chips for cars.
According to a report in January, Sony committed to establishing a company under the brand name Sony Mobility, which would mark the company’s entry into the electric vehicle space. The report also unveiled a prototype sport utility vehicle (SUV) termed VISION-S 02.
The Sony-Honda collaboration makes for a very interesting partnership and while it remains unclear what their products will look like, their individual and combined capabilities speak for themselves. The venture adds to the list of tech companies shifting trades to the auto space. It is also evidence of the commitment by carmakers to enhance their technological potential.
Other Tech Players in the Game
There have also been other tech champions who, like Sony, have jumped off to the auto space. Among them include Baidu and Xiaomi who have established electric vehicle companies. In 2021, Apple also revealed intentions to venture into the auto space with pioneering self-driving vehicles.