AUTONEWS

Honda Motor and Sony Group in the electrified vehicle market

In March of this year, two Japanese companies, Honda Motor and Sony Group, announced a joint venture that will focus on producing electric vehicles with advanced telecommunications and entertainment functions. Now it became known that the company acquired the name – Sony Honda Mobility, which unintentionally emphasizes Sony's leading role in this ensemble.

In fact, this distribution of priorities did not affect the joint venture's financing conditions – both companies will invest US$ 37.52 million in capital each. Sony Executive Vice President Izumi Kawanishi will become a director of the company.

The operational distribution of roles in the joint venture was announced in March. Honda Motor will take over the development, production and maintenance of electric vehicles, while Sony will focus on imaging, communication and entertainment technologies. Which platform will use the electric vehicles produced by Sony Honda Mobility, and under which brand it will be sold, is not specified. Honda Motor itself relies heavily on collaborations with other companies in an attempt to catch up with competitors in the electric vehicle segment. In the North American market, for example, General Motors Corporation became its partner, sharing the Ultium platform for the creation of electric vehicles. By 2030, Honda expects to produce 2 million electric vehicles a year, offering a range of more than 30 models.

Image source: Sony Group