The game has begun! Sony partners with Honda to bring the PlayStation car to life: new Japanese electric vehicles coming from 2025 through Tesla rival joint venture
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The game has begun! Sony partners with Honda to bring the PlayStation car to life: new Japanese electric vehicles coming from 2025 through Tesla rival joint venture

Sony's first all-electric model could be based on the Vision-S 02 SUV concept unveiled in January.

The PlayStation is about to get four wheels as tech giant Sony and Japanese giant Honda signed a memorandum of understanding for a new joint venture that will produce all-electric vehicles (EV) from 2025.

Like this; Sony is set to become a major player in the automotive industry by targeting electric vehicle leader Tesla. But the tech giant won't do it alone. In fact, Honda will be solely responsible for the production of its first model.

“This alliance is designed to combine Honda’s capabilities in mobility development, automotive body technology and aftermarket management experience gained over the years with Sony’s expertise in the development and application of imaging, sensor, telecommunications, networking and entertainment technologies to realize a new a generation of mobility and services that are deeply connected to users and the environment and continue to evolve into the future,” Sony and Honda said in a joint press release.

Sony and Honda continue to negotiate the necessary final binding agreements and intend to form a joint venture later this year, pending regulatory approval.

So what can we expect from the Sony-Honda alliance? Well, the tech giant has made a few big hints over the past two years, with the 2020 Vision-S sedan in Jan 01 and the 2022 Vision-S SUV concept in Jan 02 showing its initial take on the electric car.

The seven-seat Vision-S 02 is essentially a taller version of the four-seat Vision-S 01: it is 4895 mm long (with a 3030 mm wheelbase), 1930 mm wide and 1650 mm high. Thus, it competes with the BMW iX among other large premium SUVs.

Like the rival Mercedes-Benz EQE Vision-S 01, the Vision-S 02 is equipped with a twin-engine all-wheel drive transmission. Both front and rear axles produce 200kW of power for a total of 400kW. Battery capacity and range are unknown.

2022 Sony Vision-S SUV concept

The Vision-S 02's zero-to-100 mph time has also yet to be announced, but it will likely be slightly slower than the Vision-S 01's (4.8 seconds) due to a 130kg weight penalty at 2480kg. Top speed first up to 60 km/h lower starting at 180 km/h.

For reference, Vision-S 01, and therefore Vision-S 02, was made possible by Sony's partnerships with automotive specialists Magna-Steyr, ZF, Bosch, and Continental, as well as tech brands including Qualcomm, Nvidia, and Blackberry.

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