Sony Honda Mobility President Izumi Kawanishi revealed his company’s plan to dethrone Tesla as the leader in electric vehicles, and it has nothing to do with range, performance, or self-driving.
Instead, Kawanishi revealed in a recent article with the Financial Times that Sony Honda Mobility will focus on a premium entertainment experience to win customers. Kawanishi, who was named the President of the Sony Honda joint venture earlier this year when the partnership was officially formed, said Sony’s entertainment technology is the company’s “strength against Tesla.”
“Sony has content, services, and entertainment technologies that move people,” Kawanishi said in an interview with FT. “We are adapting these assets to mobility, and this is our strength against Tesla.”
Kawanishi continued that Tesla’s weakness in providing content services to customers is where Sony can swoop in and drive people toward the new brand with Honda. Sony offers various entertainment options, from televisions, to gaming consoles to surround sound systems. The PS5 could be added to the company’s vehicles as it is “technologically possible,” Kawanishi said.
Tesla has stepped up its game in terms of in-car entertainment, specifically in gaming. The company has tested Steam integration for some time and even installed high-tech gaming processors in the Model S Plaid.
The software would be the focus of the automobile, and the car would cater to the entertainment and network Sony and Honda ultimately develop as a result of building the car, which is set to roll out in North America by 2025.
Analysts say that Sony could have other motives for the project. Christopher Richter of CLSA told FT in the report that part of the joint venture’s goal with Honda is to sell more components, like sensors, to gain market share of the consumer electronics industry within the automotive sector. “Tesla hasn’t been able to completely achieve this,” while also stating Apple’s Project Titan EV is not something to consider as details are relatively thin and mostly unconfirmed.
Whatever is to come of the project will be the result of a 10 billion Yen, or roughly $74,000,000, investment from Sony and Honda to develop a competitive electric vehicle.
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