Japan’s Sony Group and Honda Motor will team up to sell high-end electric vehicles (EV) by 2026, starting in Japan and the United States.
The new premium EV will offer a new entertainment system developed by Sony, making the vehicle function like a rolling smartphone, the companies said.
The vehicle will be equipped a Level 3 autonomous drive system, allowing drivers to delve deeper into Sony’s onboard entertainment.
Key details, including pricing, battery range and even the platform for the new vehicle have not been yet been determined.
The EV Race
Honda, like its bigger rival Toyota Motor, has been slow to shift its fleet to electric. It has also struggled over the years to make gains in the luxury vehicle market with its Acura brand.
Honda believed that 2025 would be a crucial year in the shift toward EVs in the US market, Yasuhide Mizuno, the joint venture’s chairman and chief executive, said.
The new EV will be delivered to the Japanese market in the second half of 2026. The two companies are considering a launch for Europe, but no plan has been set. Orders for the new EV should open in 2025, the companies said.
Hands-Free Driving
Competitors Tesla, General Motors, Ford Motor Co and Mercedes Benz all offer some form of hands-free driving assist systems.
“As safe driving technology will continue to evolve and the amount of concentration required to drive will be reduced, we should consider new ways to enjoy and spend time in the cabin space as a whole,” Izumi Kawanishi, the joint venture’s president and executive at Sony, said.
Honda will decide on the platform that the new vehicle will use and details like the battery supplier. The still-to-be named EV will likely be manufactured by Honda at one of its plants in Ohio.
- Reuters, additional editing from Alfie Habershon
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