Sony and Honda have signed a memorandum of understanding to design and market electrical automobiles collectively, the businesses announced. The deal is not closing, however the purpose is to ascertain a three way partnership this 12 months and begin promoting automobiles by 2025.

Honda would design, manufacture and market the primary mannequin, with Sony creating the mobility service platform. The thought is to marry Honda’s automobile constructing and gross sales chops with Sony’s infotainment, cellular and picture sensor experience. 

“Although Sony and Honda are companies that share many historical and cultural similarities, our areas of technological expertise are very different,” mentioned Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe. “Therefore, I believe this alliance which brings together the strengths of our two companies offers great possibilities for the future of mobility.”

For Honda, the three way partnership would possibly assist it obtain its aim of shifting its whole lineup to EVs by 2040. As it stands now, the corporate has one of many sparsest EV lineups of any automaker, with its solely true EV offered within the west being the nichey, Europe-only Honda E.

Sony pitched the partnership as a bid to “fill the world with emotion through the power of creativity and technology.” That possible means you possibly can count on high-tech interiors and fancy leisure techniques designed that will help you overlook that you simply’re caught in rush-hour visitors. It added that it desires to create a mobility system “centered around safety, entertainment and adaptability.”

The information would not come as an entire shock, as Sony has already confirmed not only one however two electrical automobiles of its personal design, the Vision-S EV and Vision-S 02 electrical SUV. When it first appeared, the Vision-S was a showcase for all of Sony’s strengths, packing 33 totally different sensors for 360 Reality Audio tech, wide-screen shows, autonomous driving and different options. Sony promised to debut a brand new firm referred to as Sony Mobility someday this spring, but it surely seems just like the Honda alliance will serve that goal as an alternative.