Sony-Honda three way partnership to launch EVs beginning in 2026

Sony and Honda on Thursday introduced the formation of the brand new three way partnership, Sony Honda Mobility (SHM), tasked with bringing to market superior, software-led electrical automobiles.

The primary automobile can be constructed by Honda at a plant in North America and begin deliveries within the U.S. by spring 2026. SHM will begin accepting orders for the automobile in early 2025 and swap to gross sales later that yr. The corporate plans to deal with on-line gross sales, versus the normal dealership mannequin. Deliveries in Japan will begin within the latter a part of 2026, and SHM is contemplating deliveries in Europe however is but to decide.

In accordance with Reuters, the primary SHM automobile will probably be constructed at certainly one of Honda’s vegetation in Ohio. The automaker this week introduced it’s upgrading its Ohio vegetation for EV manufacturing, and stated it’s going to construct a battery plant at Fayette County, Ohio, along with LG Vitality Resolution.

Whereas Honda will primarily deal with automobile improvement and manufacturing for the three way partnership, Sony will deal with creating an ecosystem across the automobiles, which would come with an open group and varied digital merchandise, a few of which can be supplied by way of subscriptions. These may embrace leisure providers and probably some automobile features, like self-driving functionality.

Of their announcement on Thursday, Sony and Honda stated the SHM automobiles can have a high-level of self-driving functionality, together with for city environments, with Sony to offer the imaging and sensing know-how. The automobiles will nonetheless want the driving force to watch always, rating them at Degree 2 on the SAE scale of self-driving functionality, however a Degree 3 system, the primary degree the place the driving force can take their eyes of the street, can be developed, the businesses stated.

No additional particulars have been confirmed as to which automobiles can be launched by the three way partnership, although we all know Sony has been testing prototypes based mostly on its Imaginative and prescient-S sedan idea first proven in 2020. Sony this yr additionally confirmed a crossover counterpart dubbed the Imaginative and prescient-S 02, with each automobiles designed round a modular EV platform sourced from Magna Steyr, the identical Austrian firm that provides a platform for the Fisker Ocean. Magna will will deal with manufacturing of the Ocean, ranging from November.