In today’s market waging war on your own is almost impossible. The brands seek to unite and form groups with the intention of jointly financing the development of new cars, new technologies and new propulsion systems. These alliances are usually forged between companies in the same sector, although this is not one of those cases: Sony and Honda have just signed an important collaboration agreement that will give birth to a new company: Sony Honda Mobility Inc.. They haven’t broken their heads much.
The truth is that it is not something that we did not know, because back in March we already anticipated the union of the two Japanese companies. Although it has been taken for granted during these three months, there were still some fringes to polish in the contract. Sony and Honda have finally resolved the outstanding points and the result is that in a few years we will see cars developed jointly. What both companies have been commissioned to name as: “electric vehicles with high added value”.
The story and the collaboration do not end there, as Honda and Sony will also provide mobility services. Honda will bring to this new family what it does best, safety and environmental technologies, vehicle development, factories and after-sales service experience. For its part, Sony will offer the development and application of imaging, sensor, telecommunications, networking and entertainment technologies. All this together will give birth to products never seen before.
As they say, palace things go slowly. The new couple will not give birth to their first child until 2025. Within the official data released, in addition to the name we have been able to know that the headquarters will be in Tokyo, Japan. Sony and Honda share equally on expenses, with each company owning 50% of Sony Honda Mobility Inc. With a budget of 10 billion yen, the board of directors will be chaired by Yasuhide Mizuno, currently a senior executive director of Honda.
It goes without saying that both companies have been delighted with the signing of the contract. Kenichiro Yoshida, CEO of Sony, has commented: “As we continue our learning in the areas of safety, entertainment and adaptability, we are excited to have met a partner, Honda, with extensive global knowledge and achievements, and to sign the joint venture agreement between the two companies.”
For its part, Toshihiro Mibe, Director and CEO of Honda Motor has stated: “We are very pleased to have entered into a joint venture agreement with Sony, which has strengths in advanced digital technology and shares our desire to take on new challenges. Since its announcement in March, many people have expressed their expectations about this joint venture. In the new company we will strive to create new value through the merger brought about by combining our different industries, so we look forward to future developments.”
