Electronics company Sony stunned tech industry spectators in 2021 with a car showing off its mobility ambitions. Following the unveiling of its Vision-S 02 concept (pictured), they now want to build cars with Honda. Andrej Sokolow/dpa
After Apple and Xiaomi, Sony is now the latest tech company showing a serious interest in the electric car business, and after showing off concept cars the Japanese electronics group now wants to build and launch a car with Honda in three years.
The two Japanese companies shared plans in March to both jointly develop electric cars and set up a new mobility service.
The roles are clearly distributed in the partnership with Honda, and the carmaker is to build the first model in its factories. Sony will develop the mobility platform and contribute expertise in sensors, network systems and entertainment technology.
The collaboration underlines a major shift towards technology in the mobility industry, which has seen become consumers less interested in horsepower and top speeds and more interested in smartphone connectivity and AI-based features.
The first vehicle from Sony's collaboration is to come onto the market in 2025, three years after Sony unveiled the second prototype of its own electric car at the CES tech fair in Las Vegas.
Sony previously announced that it was founding a new subsidiary with the goal of bringing this car into production.
Initially, there was no information on what the cooperation with Honda meant for the company's "Vision" prototype project. Among others companies, the contract manufacturer Magna is involved in the partnership.
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