tokyo.- Two big names in Japanese automotive and electronics come together to create an electric vehicle together. Sony Group Corp. and Honda Motor Co. have agreed to create a joint venture to start selling an electric vehicle in 2025, the two sides said Friday.
The plan is to bring together Honda’s expertise in mobility development, technology and sales with Sony’s in imaging, telecommunications, networking and entertainment.
A union of companies from different industries is not common in Japan. But it makes sense in the age of non-gasoline electric vehicles that incorporate complex electronics.
Every automaker in the world has been developing zero-emission electric vehicles as concerns about pollution and climate change grow. But they face stiff competition from relatively new companies like Tesla.
The joint venture will develop and design the product, using the Honda plant for manufacturing. Sony, manufacturer of the PlayStation video game console, will develop the mobility services platform.
Honda, which makes the CR-V SUV and the Clarity hybrid, already has its program for electric vehicles, which it produces in a team with General Motors in North America.
The joint venture with Sony will be different, intended to produce unexpected value “in a chemical reaction,” said Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe.
“We are so used to thinking within the car category that it is difficult to think outside of that framework,” Mibe told a news conference.
Sony displayed a prototype electric car at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas two years ago and was eagerly seeking a partner in the automotive sector, said Sony Group CEO Kenichiro Yoshida.
The two directors, who appeared together at a press conference in Tokyo, did not rule out listing the joint venture on the stock exchange. Shares of both companies fell on Friday, Honda 4.5% and Sony 3.2%.
#Honda #Sony #team #create #electric #car