View source for Company:Sony Honda Mobility

{{short description|Japanese automotive joint venture company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Sony Honda Mobility Inc.
| logo = Afeela logo.svg
| logo_caption = 
| image = 
| image_caption = 
| native_name = ソニー・ホンダモビリティ株式会社
| native_name_lang = ja
| romanized_name = ''Sonī Hondamobiriti Kabushikigaisha''
| type = [[Finance:Joint venture|Joint venture]]
| industry = Automotive
| predecessor = 
| foundation = {{start date and age|2022|09|df=yes}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.shm-afeela.com/en/corporate/ |title=Sony Honda Mobility |publisher=Sony Honda Mobility Inc. |access-date=2023-01-05}}</ref>
| founder = 
| hq_location = Tokyo Midtown East, 9-7-2, Akasaka
| location_city = Minato, Tokyo
| location_country = Japan
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = {{ubl
  | Yasuhide Mizuno (Representative Director, [[Social:Chairman|Chairman]] and [[Company:CEO|CEO]])
  | Izumi Kawanishi (Representative Director, [[Social:President (corporate title)|President]] and [[Social:Chief operating officer|COO]])
  }}
| products = Automobiles
| production = 
| brands = Afeela
| owners = {{plainlist|
* [[Company:Sony|Sony Group Corporation]] (50%)
* [[Company:Honda|Honda Motor Company]] (50%)
}}
| parent = 
| divisions = 
| homepage = {{URL|https://www.shm-afeela.com/en/|www.shm-afeela.com}}
}}

{{Nihongo|'''Sony Honda Mobility Inc.'''|ソニー・ホンダモビリティ株式会社|Sonī Hondamobiriti Kabushikigaisha|lead=yes}} is a Japanese [[Finance:Joint venture|joint venture]] {{wipe|Automotive industry}} established by [[Company:Sony|Sony Group Corporation]] and [[Company:Honda|Honda Motor Company]] in 2022 to produce battery electric vehicles.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Sugiura |first1=Eri |last2=Lewis |first2=Leo |date=2022-11-20 |title=Sony-Honda venture plans to tap entertainment prowess for its electric cars |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/ab89a541-4e92-4a0b-937a-4230947eabdd |access-date=2023-01-05}}</ref> The company will market its vehicles under the {{nihongo|'''Afeela'''|アフィーラ|Afīra|lead=yes}} brand.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Valdes-Dapena |first=Peter |date=2023-01-05 |title=Sony and Honda reveal their car brand, Afeela |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/04/tech/sony-honda-afeela/index.html |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Blanco |first=Sebastian |date=2023-01-05 |title=Afeela Is a New EV from Sony and Honda Coming to the U.S. in 2026 |url=https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a42400955/afeela-sony-honda-ev/ |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=Car and Driver |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hawkins |first=Andrew J. |date=2023-01-05 |title=Sony and Honda just announced their new electric car brand, Afeela |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/4/23539863/sony-honda-electric-vehicle-afeela-ces-reveal-photos |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=The Verge |language=en-US}}</ref>

The company plans to take pre-orders in the first half of 2025 and deliver the first cars to customers in North America in spring 2026. Production of the vehicle will take place at one of Honda's plants in the U.S.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sony unveils prototype EV, Afeela, to be made with Honda |url=https://news.yahoo.com/sony-unveils-prototype-ev-afeela-054238185.html |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=news.yahoo.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

== History ==
In January 2020, Sony revealed its first electric sedan prototype at the [[Engineering:Consumer Electronics Show#2020|53rd Consumer Electronics Show]]. The vehicle was called the [[Engineering:Sony Vision-S|Sony Vision-S]]. According to the company, the Vision-S incorporates Sony's imaging and sensing technologies. In contrast, Sony's artificial intelligence, telecommunication, and cloud computing technologies enable the continued updating and evolution of the vehicle's features.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chan |first=Mick |date=2020-01-07 |title=Sony Vision-S concept car unveiled at CES 2020; dual-motor powertrain, provision for Level 4 self-driving - paultan.org |url=https://paultan.org/2020/01/07/sony-unveils-vision-s-concept-car-at-ces-2020-dual-motor-powertrain-provision-for-level-4-self-driving/ |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=Paul Tan's Automotive News |language=en-US}}</ref> A second concept car, an electric [[Engineering:SUV|SUV]] was unveiled in January 2022 at the [[Engineering:Consumer Electronics Show#2022|55th Consumer Electronics Show]] as the Vision-S&nbsp;02, while the original concept was retroactively renamed to Vision-S&nbsp;01.<ref>{{cite news |author=Fink, Greg |date=March 2, 2020 |title=Is This Crossover SUV Sony's Next Drivable PlayStation? |work=Motor Trend |url=https://www.motortrend.com/news/sony-car-crossover-suv-ev-spied-video/ |access-date=8 March 2022}}</ref>

In April 2022, Sony established Sony Mobility Inc. as their mobility service arm.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Establishment of Sony Mobility Inc. |url=http://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/News/Press/202204/22-016E/index.html |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=Sony Group Portal - Sony Global Headquarters |language=en}}</ref>

In March 2022, Sony and Honda signed a [[Finance:Memorandum of understanding|memorandum of understanding]] to deepen the discussion and exploration of forming a strategic alliance between the two companies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Joshua S. |date=2022-03-09 |title=Honda and Sony to deliver first EV by 2025 in new joint venture |url=https://thedriven.io/2022/03/09/honda-and-sony-to-deliver-first-ev-by-2025-in-new-joint-venture/ |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=The Driven |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-04 |title=Sony and Honda Sign Memorandum of Understanding for Strategic Alliance in Mobility Field |url=https://global.honda/newsroom/news/2022/c220304beng.html |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=global.honda |language=en}}</ref> In June 2022, while still in the process of negotiating the details of the partnership, both companies announced that their joint venture company would be called "Sony Honda Mobility Inc."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-16 |title=Honda and Sony Sign Agreement for New EV Joint Venture Brand |url=https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a39324355/honda-sony-ev-agreement/ |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=Car and Driver |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sony and Honda Sign Joint Venture Agreement to Establish New Company |url=http://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/News/Press/202206/22-0616E/index.html |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=Sony Group Portal - Sony Global Headquarters |language=en}}</ref>

The company was officially announced through a press conference on October 13, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sony Honda Mobility Inc. Established. – Move people, through the pursuit of innovation with diverse inspirations. – |url=https://shm-afeela.com/en/news/2022-10-13/ |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=shm-afeela.com |language=en}}</ref> According to the company, it aims to become a software-oriented "Mobility Tech Company".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bellan |first=Rebecca |date=2022-10-13 |title=Sony and Honda envision an EV that entertains while it takes the wheel |url=https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/13/sony-honda-envision-ev-that-entertains-while-it-takes-the-wheel/ |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref>

On January 5, 2023, the company revealed its first electric vehicle prototype under the brand name Afeela at the [[Engineering:Consumer Electronics Show#2023|56th Consumer Electronics Show]]. The prototype is a four-door [[Engineering:Sedan (automobile)|sedan]] that will be produced in the U.S. in 2026 and will feature [[Engineering:Self-driving car#Levels of driving automation|Level 3]] automated driving capabilities under limited conditions.

== Models ==

=== Afeela prototype ===
Revealed in January 2023, the Afeela prototype is a four-door sedan that will be available for pre-order in the first half of 2025, while initial shipments will be delivered to customers in North America in the spring of 2026. It has 45 cameras and sensors inside and outside the vehicle to ensure its safety and security. At the same time, [[Company:Qualcomm|Qualcomm]]'s system-on-a-chip technology, including their Snapdragon digital chassis, will be used by the vehicle, while the cockpit and software architecture has been enabled by Elektrobit Automotive, who also collaborated with Sony on software and UX for the [[Engineering:Sony Vision-S|Sony Vision-S]], the electronics giant's first prototype. The car will be manufactured at one of Honda's North American plants. The company will also integrate [[Company:Epic Games|Epic Games]]' [[Unreal Engine]], a 3D computer graphics game engine, into their vehicles to help visualize in-car communication, safety, and entertainment.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bellan |first=Rebecca |date=2023-01-05 |title=Sony and Honda reveal Afeela, their joint EV brand, at CES |url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/04/sony-and-honda-reveal-afeela-their-joint-ev-brand-at-ces/ |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Neff |first=John |date=2023-01-05 |title=Sony And Honda Name Their New EV Car Brand Afeela, Show Prototype |url=https://insideevs.com/news/629518/afeela-sony-honda-ev-brand/ |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=InsideEVs |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Leggat |first=David |date=2023-02-08 |title=Elektrobit software fitted to Sony Honda prototype |url=https://www.just-auto.com/news/elektrobit-software-fitted-to-sony-honda-prototype/ |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=JustAuto |language=en-US}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==


{{Sony Corp}}
{{Japanese Automobile Industry}}

[[Category:Joint ventures]]
[[Category:Battery electric vehicle manufacturers]]

{{Sourceattribution|Sony Honda Mobility}}