Carmaker Honda and electronics giant Sony will team up to build “high value-added” electric cars sold online, appearing in late 2025. The two companies announced their partnership in March and revealed more details of the plan at a press conference this week.
More. But not all. There’s still a great deal we don’t know about the partnership.
A Possible Preview
In January, Sony unexpectedly showed off a pair of electric cars at the CES consumer electronics show. They included a sleek midsize sedan and a low-riding crossover, arguably more wagon than SUV. Sony called them the Vision S-01 and Vision S-02.
The company showed film of them testing on public roads in the U.S. and Europe, indicating that they were farther along in the development process than many cars teased by electric startups.
Photos of the interior, as you might expect, showed a heavy emphasis on electronics. They featured dashboards made entirely of touchscreen surface.
Two months later, Sony and Honda announced they would partner to build electric cars.
Made in America
The two Japanese giants have formed a joint venture called Sony Honda Mobility, headed by a senior Honda Executive, Yasuhide Mizuno. Mizuno spoke to reporters this week in front of a large display featuring head-on images of both the Vision S-01 sedan and a compact SUV wearing a license plate that read “Honda ei prototype.” He did not confirm whether either image showed a future SHM product.
He did say the joint company’s cars would be built in the United States. That might make them eligible for the full $7,500 federal EV tax incentive, which is now available only on cars built in North America. That law, however, also includes price caps.
Sony Entertainment, Honda Mechanical Parts?
Mizuno offered no mechanical details on the upcoming cars.
Honda has partnered with General Motors to build its initial line of electric cars. Its first, the Honda Prologue, will appear as a 2024 model. The Prologue rides on GM’s Ultium architecture, sharing its drivetrain with other Ultium-based SUVs like the Cadillac Lyriq and the 2024 Chevy Equinox EV.
Honda says it is working to develop its own electric car platform independently. The partnership hasn’t said which system will power SHM’s cars.
Subscription Services, Automation Software
Mizuno’s statement that the cars would be “high value-added” products might suggest a high price point above the caps.
It could also, however, refer to subscription services.
Sony Executive Vice President Izumi Kawanishi told reports that SHM vehicles will embrace “the value of mobile space, not only as a physical means of transportation but also as an entertainment and emotional space.”
That, together with the immense screen real estate of the concept cars, could allow for subscription services like in-car games. Many automakers have begun discussing long-term plans to charge for features by the month or on a pay-as-you-use basis. That could be a natural fit for an electronics company.
So could automation software.
Automakers rely on a framework of 5 levels to structure their attempts to develop self-driving cars. The most sophisticated systems currently on the market are Level 2 systems. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system and GM’s Ultra Cruise, for instance, are Level 2 systems. They can accelerate, brake, and steer on certain roads but only with a driver actively supervising them and able to take control at all times.
Self-Driving Cars: Everything You Need to Know
Mizuno said SHM plans to offer “Level 3 automated drive under limited conditions and to enable Level 2+ driver assistance in even more situations such as urban driving.”
SHM expects to accept orders for the cars in the first half of 2025 and begin delivering them in the spring of 2026.
The company will sell cars online, like Tesla and Rivian, rather than in dealerships. However, a shared platform with other Honda EVs might give buyers access to Honda’s dealership network for service.
