Sony and Honda are teaming up to make a range of electric vehicles
Enlarge / The Vision-S 02 (left) and Vision-S 01 (right) are a pair of concept EVs developed by Sony. Now, the company is joining up with Honda to build a range of EVs. (credit: Sony)
On Friday, we learned that Honda and Sony are teaming up for a strategic alliance. The two companies are creating a new joint venture that will design and sell a range of high-end electric vehicles and mobility services. The first EV is due to go on sale in 2025.
We got our first real glimpse of Sony's automotive ambitions when the consumer electronics giant used the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to show off a concept car called the Vision-S. This remarkably polished car was a four-wheel showcase for Sony's sensor tech and had an interior that made it easy to consume Sony's digital entertainment content.
Sony worked with traditional automotive suppliers like Bosch, Continental, and Magna Steyr on the concept, and we saw it again the following year via videos of the Vision-S testing in Austria. Magna Steyr is well-known in the auto industry for its ability to contract-manufacture vehicles for automakers, including BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, and Toyota. Its factory is in Graz, Austria.