Sony and Honda announced that they had signed an agreement to establish a new company for developing electrical vehicles earlier this year, and some of these EVs could include a PlayStation 5, according to a new report from the Financial Times (alternate link) that discusses how the companies are planning to use music, movies, game consoles, and other premium forms of entertainment to tackle competitors that include Tesla.
“Sony has content, services and entertainment technologies that move people,” said Sony Honda Mobility president Izumi Kawanishi, who previously led Sony’s AI robotics business. “We are adapting these assets to mobility, and this is our strength against Tesla.”
“Tesla is not providing any content services,” he then explained before going on to tease that integrating the PlayStation 5 platform into Sony Honda Mobility’s cars was “technologically possible.”
Yasuhide Mizuno, chair of the joint venture, teased Sony Honda Mobility’s unique production process in which content would be placed first, with the goal of developing “a car as hardware that will cater to the entertainment and network we would like to offer.”
Sony on its partnership with Honda:
The new company will aim to bring together Honda’s cutting-edge environmental and safety technologies, mobility development capabilities, vehicle body manufacturing technology and after-sales service management experience, with Sony’s expertise in the development and application of imaging, sensing, telecommunication, network and entertainment technologies, to realize a new generation of mobility and services for mobility that are closely aligned with users and the environment, and continue to evolve going forward.
The company plans to roll out its first electric vehicle in North America by 2025.