Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) has now been fully created after the first joint venture (JV) announcement in June 2022.
This follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in March by the two Japanese businesses for the combined research and marketing of “high value-added battery electric vehicles (BEVs).”
The JV’s representative directors announced the formal creation, chairman and CEO Yasuhide Mizuno (from Honda) and president and COO Izumi Kawanishi (from Sony).
SHM announced that it will begin accepting pre-orders for its first product before the end of 2025, with initial customer deliveries in the United States commencing in 2026. It says that deliveries in Japan will begin in the second half of 2026, while the first product will be made at Honda’s North American plant.
In an urban context, the JV’s high-value EV concept will include Level 3 autonomous driving capabilities and Level 2+ driver assistance. It will also include a new human-machine interface that will link to cloud services.
SHM has a crossover and a sedan in its portfolio. According to Sony, these EVs will feature two electric motors that deliver 536 horsepower to all four wheels. It did not, however, give any information about the vehicle’s battery pack, electric range, features, or pricing.
The actual debut date is uncertain at this time. However, Sony has stated a Spring 2022 launch date.
