Sony and Honda are collaborating to develop electric vehicles.
Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) has now been fully constituted, after the first announcement of a joint venture (JV) in June 2022.
This followed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in March by the two Japanese businesses for the combined research and marketing of “high value-added battery electric vehicles (BEVs).”
Sony S1 Vision
The official creation was announced by the JV’s representative directors, chairman and CEO Yasuhide Mizuno (from Honda) and president and COO Izumi Kawanishi (from Sony).
SHM announced that it would begin taking pre-orders for its first product before the end of 2025, with initial customer deliveries in the United States commencing in 2026.
It goes on to say that deliveries in Japan would begin in the second half of 2026, while the first product will be made at Honda’s North American plant.
In an urban context, the JV’s high-value EV concept will include Level 3 autonomous driving capabilities as well as Level 2+ driver assistance. It will also include a new human-machine interface that will link to cloud services.
The Sony Vision S2
SHM has a crossover and a sedan in its portfolio. According to Sony, these EVs will feature two electric motors that provide 536 horsepower to all four wheels. It did not, however, give any information about the vehicle’s battery pack, electric range, features, or pricing.
The actual launch date is uncertain at this time, however Sony has stated a Spring 2022 launch frame.
