In context: Many were surprised when Sony announced it would get into the EV market. From what we've gathered, the Japanese company expects to launch two Vision-S models in the coming years. However, based on the newly announced partnership with Honda, Sony has much bigger plans for its venture into the EV market.
In a somewhat unexpected announcement, Sony and Honda revealed their plans to create a new company to design, develop and sell EVs. Sony and Honda will also provide mobility services to customers using the car manufacturer's know-how in vehicle development and manufacturing and the technology company's expertise across different electronics fields.
The companies hope to take care of the bureaucracy needed to establish the new company in the coming months, hoping to create the new EV brand before the end of 2022.
"Sony's Purpose is to 'fill the world with emotion through the power of creativity and technology,'" said Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony's CEO. "Through this alliance with Honda, which has accumulated extensive global experience and achievements in the automobile industry over many years and continues to make revolutionary advancements in this field, we intend to build on our vision to 'make the mobility space an emotional one,' and contribute to the evolution of mobility centered around safety, entertainment and adaptability."
The new company resulting from this partnership will be responsible for planning, designing, developing, and selling the EV. However, manufacturing will be at Honda's duty, while Sony takes care of the mobility service platform.
While we wait for the first Honda-Sony EV, we'll likely see the Japanese technology conglomerate launching the Vision-S models. The original Vision-S was announced at CES 2020 as a concept, but during the 2022 conference, Sony unveiled its plans to launch the EV (now called Vision-S 01) under the Sony Mobility brand. In addition, it also revealed the Vision-S 02, the Model-X equivalent in the Sony EV series.
