Sony and Honda are two storied Japanese brands with the same passion or ‘kando’ for the products they create, but there was a definite clash of cultures when the two came together to form the Afeela car brand, Sony-Honda Mobility CEO Yasuhide Mizuno has revealed.
“Sony is mainly a software company, which means they don’t spend five years planning to launch a new product,” Mizuno, a former Honda executive, told journalists in an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in early January. “They quickly launch and then update, update, update.”
Following the agreement of the joint venture last year, room was found in Sony’s Tokyo office and 100 staff – mostly engineers – from each company were thrust together to create that tricky beast: a modern, software-defined car company.
“The Sony people were very surprised at the first meeting,” Mizuno recalled. “Preparation times in the car industry are quite huge.”
Afeela’s first car, an electric saloon about the size of the BMW 5 Series and previewed by a concept at CES, won’t arrive in Europe until late 2026.
Sony brings crucial software knowledge that will allow Honda to meet head-on competition from a new breed of car makers that put the digital experience ahead of the physical.
Tesla got the ball rolling, but the momentum is being carried forward by China, where car makers are joining forces with tech giants to redefine what makes a premium driving experience.
Without Sony’s help, Honda would struggle to counter their attack.
“Software-defined is another world for Honda, quite different and quite difficult," said Mizuno.
So the work is divided. Honda will supply the e-Architecture platform, scheduled for introduction on its own models in 2026, and will source all the hardware, such as the battery and drivetrain. It will also take the car from prototype to production model and build it in one of its production facilities.
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