Sony, Honda EV venture to launch new models before 2030

EV Industry: A joint venture between Sony Group and Honda Motor will introduce three electric vehicle models by the second half of the present decade, Nikkei reported.

Sony Honda Mobility will roll out a sedan in 2025, a sports utility vehicle in 2027 and a compact in 2028 or after in a bid to compete with Tesla, the business daily reported.

The company previously indicated that the sedan EV will be launched under the Afeela brand, although it now appears that more than two models will be included in the line.

SUVs are usually more spacious than sedans and carry more entertainment options like stereo speaker systems and video monitors.

The joint venture intends to strengthen its development structure as it expands its product lineup. In January 2024, it began hiring mid-career engineers, as it intends to double its workforce to around 500 employees.

Upcoming vehicles

The three models will share the same chassis to reduce costs and speed up development.

The compact could be comparable in size to the Toyota Corolla and Volkswagen Golf, while the expectations are high on it sharing parts with Honda's independently developed EVs.

On the price front, the joint venture rolling out plan would keep prices low by omitting equipment and functions, as per an Nikkei report.

Sony Honda Mobility's expansion of product lineup was propelled by the evolving EV market.

Although Tesla had been the dominating presence in the 2010s with rivals from China, Germany and South Korea establishing their presence. China's BYD is the biggest example of becoming a global brand.