Here’s What to Expect from the Sony-Honda EVs

• Sony Honda Mobility Inc. formalizes the strategic alliance announced earlier this year by the two companies in the field of mobility.

• The first EVs to come from this project will be produced stateside and will be available for preorder in 2025, ahead of deliveries in 2026.

• The two companies plan to offer Level 3 autonomy in the new EVs, in addition to interior infotainment tech that will be developed by Sony.

Over the summer the world learned that Sony will partner with Honda on a new generation of EVs, after years of speculation and two very compelling prototypes. Now, Sony and Honda reveal more details about the collaboration after formally inaugurating a new company for the project.

"In March this year Sony Group Corporation and Honda Motor Company Limited signed a basic agreement for our strategic alliance in the mobility field," said Yasuhide Mizuno, chairman and CEO of the new company. "In June we announced a joint venture agreement to establish a new company. Today we are pleased to announce the official establishment of Sony Honda Mobility Inc."

In a joint press conference the same week Honda announced plans to retool several of its Ohio plants to produce EVs—in addition to forming a joint venture with LG for battery production stateside—Sony Honda Mobility Inc. revealed its EVs would be produced in the US as well.

With regard to timing, the companies said pre-orders will open in the first half of 2025, with the first deliveries scheduled for the following year.

"To begin with, why have Sony and Honda teamed up? As you all know the mobility industry is going through an enormous change with the digital technology and software at its epicenter," Mizuno added.

"Sony is aiming to contribute to mobility evolution with the vision of transforming mobility as an entertainment space. Meanwhile, Honda has been promoting a transformation, shifting to product with hardware and software integrated. In order to lead the transformation of mobility, we need to take a drastic approach, totally different from the traditional way of automobile production."

Sony Honda Mobility Inc. disclosed for the first time that Level 3 autonomy will be on the menu by the time the first model arrives, offering eyes-off, hands-off driving under certain traffic conditions.

Level 3 is arriving in several production cars this year and in 2023, so the technology should be much more widely available by 2026 when the first EVs under this partnership arrive on the market.

"We will build upon Honda's initiative to realize a collision-free society combined with Sony's automobile sensor technology to further enhance safety performance," said Izumi Kawanishi, the new company's chief operating officer. "We will provide a safe and secure environment and comfortable mobility space. With further intelligent technology we will aim toward Level 3 automated driving technology under defined conditions as as well as for Level 2-plus ADAS functions under broader driving conditions, including in the urban areas."

While Sony focuses its energies on developing the in-car software and entertainment systems, Honda will provide the drivetrain and manufacturing expertise.

"We're looking to propose new HMIs (human-machine interfaces) using Sony's entertainment technology and content as well as its UX UI (user experience and user interface) technologies cultivated over the years," Kawanishi aded. "We will link with various cloud services to deliver a personalized in-car environment for each user."

What Sony Honda Mobility Inc. has not revealed is what the new EV will look like, though we've received two previews of Sony's idea of an electric car with the Vision-S sedan and Vision-S 02 crossover concepts.

However, both companies suggested at the same press conference that the first EV will be premium-priced, which likely points to a large SUV or crossover.

"Our goal is not to become an ordinary car manufacturer, but to become a new mobility technology company, centered on software technology," Mizuno said. "Starting from this company based in Japan, we'd like to expand globally and revitalize the Japanese industry."

The two previously seen concepts were developed along with Magna Steyr but will arrive in a markedly different time with Honda tech underneath. So don't get too accustomed to the styling of the two concepts from years ago.

The solidifying Sony-Honda partnership now appears to be on a much more defined trajectory than another high-profile effort—the long-rumored Apple car—one that has seen its share of delays and wild conjecture by analysts.

But this trajectory won't yield results until 2026, which at this volatile time in the auto industry and the world overall feels as distant as 2036.

"Preorders for our first product will begin in the first half of 2025. Sales will commence before the end of 2025," Mizuno indicated during the press conference. "The first shipments will be delivered to customers in North America, which is planned for spring 2026. The delivery in Japan is planned for the second half of 2026. We are planning to manufacture vehicles at Honda's plants in North America."

Honda has not been in a rush to flood stateside dealerships with EVs after a largely forgotten Clarity all-electric sedan that exited the US three years ago, with the automaker also keeping another currently produced model out of the US. So those itching to buy an EV with a Honda badge will have only the Prologue until 2026 rolls around.