Sony Corporation is collaborating with Honda Motors to form a new EV company Sony Honda Mobility Inc. that will produce ,sell and provide service in EV sector. Let’s dig a bit about this partnership.
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MoU in March:
It was on March 4, 2022 that Japan’s 2nd largest company Honda Motor Co. and 11th largest company Sony Group Corp. had signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint venture ( read a new company) that would engage themselves in production and sales of ” high value added battery electric vehicles”
Join in June:
On June 16th, 2022, the two big players in their own respective sectors announced to have signed a joint venture agreement to establish a new company that will not only engage itself in sales of EVs but also aims to provide services in mobility. The name of the new company will be Sony Honda Mobility Inc.
Sony Honda Mobility Inc.:
Sony Honda Mobility Inc. will be a 50 -50 partnership between Sony and Honda. According to Sony Group Chairman, President and CEO Mr. Kenichiro Yoshida , Sony aims 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 (Sony’s) expertise in imaging, sensing, telecommunication, network and entertainment technologies”
Each of the companies is expected to invest around $ 37.52 million dollar ( 5 billion Yen) at the initial phase. The new company will be selling electric cars from 2025. Honda has announced that the new company has plans to introduce 30 new EV models and to make around 2 million new EVs annually by 2030.
Honda and General Motors:
Honda has already partnered with General Motors to co- develop affordable electric vehicles in North America by 2027. The Ultium battery platform of GM is expected to be used in the GM- Honda electric vehicles. While GM is developing newer battery technologies with Lithium and Silicon, Honda is progressing with it’s development of solid state batteries. Now the technology of Sony must provide an outstanding boost to Honda’s EV dreams.
Sony Vision-S concept:
Sony has been already working in it’s Vision-S, an all electric automobile platform to develop future electric vehicles. Sony plans to use the Vision-S platform to develop electric vehicles in future under a new wholly-owned subsidiary named Sony Mobility Inc. The company already unveiled its Vision-S 01 model in 2020 in Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show and the Vision-S 02 model was also unveiled in 2022. Sony is aimed to “cultivate a new inspiration through the fusion of creativity and technology”. Sony’s partnership with Honda Motors is thought to give Sony a robust experience for it’s Vision S platform.
(Featured image: Sony Vision S-2 concept by sony)