The electric vehicle competition between Japan and China is not going away these days. Yasuhide Mizuno, CEO of Sony Honda Mobility, a joint venture between Sony and Honda, announced that he is very afraid of the rapid development of China’s electric vehicles. Here are the electric vehicle plans and measures of Japanese competitors…

Sony Honda Mobility CEO: If we don’t make a move against China’s electric vehicles, we will be left behind

Mizuno said that its Chinese competitors are advancing much faster than expected and that if Japan cannot innovate faster, it may become a “follower” in this field. China’s electric vehicle development period takes only 18 months from A to Z. That’s less than half of Japan’s car development time.

“Our Chinese competitors are very strong and I am very afraid of their speed,” Mizuno said. He also stated that Japanese companies need to change their conservative business culture and make major breakthroughs in production. Sony Honda Mobility, a 50%-50% joint venture between Sony and Honda, was established in 2022.

Their plans are quite ambitious: They aim to launch the first sedan model in 2025, an SUV model in 2027, and an affordable compact sedan model in 2028. The first deliveries will begin in North America in 2026.

Mizuno stated that Chinese-made electric vehicles cannot enter the United States, which would limit consumer choices. However, he stated that the absence of Chinese vehicles should not make Japan complacent, on the contrary, they should develop vehicles that can compete directly with Chinese competitors.

The US imposes a 100 percent tariff on electric vehicles from China, making it difficult for major Chinese brands such as BYD and NIO to enter the market. But according to Mizuno, this does not mean that Japan can sit back and relax.

Sony Honda Mobility’s CEO emphasized that the Japanese automotive industry needs to take more innovative and bold steps to keep up with China’s pace. “We have to be faster and better to compete against our Chinese rivals,” he says.

What are you thinking? You can share your opinions about China’s rapid development in electric vehicles and what strategy Japan should follow against this competition.