Sony Honda Mobility
A joint Sony-Honda EV could be based on Sony’s Vision-S prototype, seen here on display in Japan. Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images

The 2024 Honda Prologue isn’t the only electric vehicle Honda has in its sights.

Like the Prologue, the new EV is part of a partnership, but instead of working with a car manufacturer (like General Motors) the new Honda EV will be made with Sony, the electronics and entertainment behemoth. The two Japanese companies confirmed production plans for an EV from its new joint venture, Sony Honda Mobility.

Sony’s Vision-S prototype car was last shown in March and could be the basis for the new Sony Honda Mobility EV. Pre-orders are expected to open in the first part of 2025 and deliveries in the U.S. will arrive by spring 2026. Japan deliveries will follow later into 2026.

Sony Vision OS 2 SUV Concept
Sony will focus on the in-car tech and software for the Honda-Sony EV. Sony

Honda will build the car at its North America factory in Ohio, while Sony will build the tech side of the company through “software-orient technologies.” SHM said it will focus on online sales and create a “personalized in-car experience” for infotainment. It mentioned incorporating the “metaverse” and subscription services into the car experience. 

A major pillar of the new company is autonomous driving with plans for Level 3 autonomy, which requires a human driver to be able to take over from the vehicle. For city driving, SHM indicated it is looking into an advanced driver assistance system.

The Sony-Honda partnership was first announced at CES in January, while in 2020 Sony had presented its EV concept without an automaker tagged onto the project.

UPDATE Jan. 4, 2023 6:04 p.m. PT: At CES 2023 in Las Vegas, Sony Honda Mobility brought the prototype onto the conference stage and revealed its name: Afeela. The EV, which Sony re-iterated is on track for a spring 2026 arrival in the U.S., will partner with Qualcomm and Epic Games for its digital interface which includes games, movies, music, automated driving and other features.