Sony Honda Mobility Inc. Officially Established, to Deliver First EVs by 2026

Sony and Honda's new joint electric vehicle (EV) joint venture has officially launched. It's called Sony Honda Mobility Inc. (SHM) and it aims to become a software-oriented 'Mobility Tech Company' by providing high value-added products and services.

The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding for strategic alliance in the mobility field on March 4, 2022.

Pre-orders for the first product are planned to begin in the first half of 2025, with sales to commence before the end of 2025.

Delivery is planned to start in the US in Spring 2026, followed by Japan in the second half of 2026. It plans to manufacture its first product at Hondaʼ s North America factory.

The new group says its high value-added EV concept will be defined by 'the 3Aʼs for Autonomy, Augmentation, and Affinity'.

It aims to develop Level 3 automated drive under limited conditions and to enable Level 2+ driver assistance in even more situations such as urban driving.

It also plans to evolve mobility space into entertainment and emotional space, by seamlessly integrating real and virtual worlds, and exploring new entertainment possibilities through digital innovations such as the metaverse. 

In a press release, SHM says: 'SHM will build an open community for not only customers, but our automotive industry partners, leading players in other industries, and the creative community which will take on the challenge with us to create new mobility entertainment.  Aiming to realize an interactive mobility society and create new entertainment experience, SHM will design a comprehensive service architecture that positions mobility as a mobility experience service, incorporating an integrated service framework that is consistent throughout from in-vehicle software to cloud-based software.'

Sony Group Corporation will hold 50% of SHM, and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. will hold the other 50%. It will be based in Tokyo.