Two major Japanese auto manufacturers are working jointly on a new metaverse-enabled electric vehicle.
Key Details
- Sony and Honda will be joining together to establish a new joint company called Sony Honda Mobility Inc. (SHM).
- “Honda and Sony announced Wednesday that they would be teaming up on an electric vehicle that will feature digital innovations such as connection to the metaverse,” says The Washington Examiner.
- “SHM aims to become a software-oriented ‘Mobility Tech Company’ by providing high value-added products and services, and by building new relations with customers,” says the SHM news release.
- “SHM aims to evolve mobility space into entertainment and emotional space, by seamlessly integrating real and virtual worlds, and exploring new entertainment possibilities through digital innovations such as the metaverse,” SHM continues.
- The new vehicle will be available for preorder in the United States in 2025 and in Japan in 2026.
Why it’s news
This new car marks a major milestone in the popularization of Metaverse, as SHM wants to integrate cloud-service connectivity and entertainment features into its newest vehicles.
“Based on a common principle both Sony and Honda hold, to contribute to and lead the evolution of mobility, SHM has defined its high value-added EV concept as the 3A’s for Autonomy, Augmentation, and Affinity,” says SHM.
As we previously reported, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced last year the company would change its name to Meta Platforms and be a “metaverse company.” The idea of the metaverse focused on a virtual reality society where everyone would socialize and meet virtually.
SHM’s vehicles are poised to embrace some of the most cutting-edge technologies available, including autonomous driving features that are not yet street-legal in the United States.
“SHM will provide a pleasant mobility space founded on safe and secure technologies. SHM aims to develop Level 3 automated driving under limited conditions and to enable Level 2+ driver assistance in even more situations such as urban driving,” says SHM.
Notable quote
“Honda announced Tuesday that it would build a battery plant in Fayette County, Ohio, in partnership with LG Energy Solution of South Korea, with a projected total investment from both companies of $4.4 billion. This will also result in over 2,000 new jobs in its electric vehicle industry alone. It is still unclear if the cars with the metaverse compatibility will be built in the Ohio plant, as the companies claimed they would be built in the North American plant,” says The Washington Examiner.