Sony Group Corp (NYSE:SONY) and Honda Motor Co Ltd.'s (NYSE:HMC) joint electric vehicle venture faces significant headwinds as it prepares to enter the U.S. market in 2026, amid expected policy changes under President-elect Donald Trump that could reshape the EV landscape.
What Happened: The partnership, Sony Honda Mobility, will unveil its production-ready Afeela sedan prototype at CES 2025 in Las Vegas next month. While the vehicle's hardware is largely complete, developers are fine-tuning the software-centric features that distinguish it from competitors, according to SHM President Izumi Kawanishi, Nikkei reported on Wednesday.
The timing of Afeela's launch coincides with potentially major shifts in U.S. auto policy. Trump's anticipated elimination of the current $7,500 EV tax credit could reduce electric vehicle sales by nearly 30%, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.
This policy shift has already influenced market dynamics, with Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares rallying following Trump's election victory.
What Happened: The changing landscape has divided industry analysts. Roth MKM analyst Craig Irwin recently raised Tesla's price target by 347% to $380, suggesting established players might benefit from reduced subsidies. However, newcomers like SHM could face additional challenges beyond the subsidy cuts, including potential tariff increases.
Despite these hurdles, SHM is betting on its unique value proposition. The Afeela features 45 cameras and sensors, an entertainment-focused cabin design, and software that can be updated like a smartphone. The company aims to differentiate itself through Sony's entertainment and sensor expertise combined with Honda's automotive manufacturing capabilities.
"All businesses have ups and downs," Kawanishi noted, emphasizing the venture's long-term vision. Industry experts suggest annual sales of 30,000 to 40,000 units would be considered successful for the new entrant in a market dominated by Tesla, which controls approximately half of U.S. EV sales.
EV-focused exchange-traded funds, including Invesco Electric Vehicle Metals Commodity Strategy No K-1 ETF (NASDAQ:EVMT), Amplify Lithium & Battery Technology ETF (NYSE:BATT), KraneShares Electric Vehicles and Future Mobility Index ETF (NYSE:KARS), and Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF (NYSE:LIT), have all been trading in the red since Trump's election victory on Nov. 6.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
索尼集團公司 (NYSE:SONY) 和本田汽車公司 (NYSE:HMC) 的合資電動汽車企業在準備於 2026 年進入美國市場時面臨重大阻力，因爲預計當選總統唐納德·特朗普 (Donald Trump) 的政策變化可能會重塑電動汽車格局。
發生了什麼：索尼本田出行合作伙伴將在下個月在拉斯維加斯舉行的CES 2025上推出其可量產的Afeela轎車原型。日經週三報道，ShM總裁川西泉表示，儘管該車的硬件已基本完善，但開發人員正在微調以軟件爲中心的功能，以使其與競爭對手區分開來。
Afeela推出的時機恰逢美國汽車政策可能發生的重大變化。根據國家經濟研究局的數據，特朗普預計取消目前的7,500美元電動汽車稅收抵免可能會使電動汽車的銷量減少近30％。
這種政策轉變已經影響了市場動態，特斯拉公司（納斯達克股票代碼：TSLA）在特朗普大選獲勝後股價上漲。
發生了什麼：不斷變化的格局使行業分析師產生了分歧。Roth mKM分析師克雷格·歐文最近將特斯拉的目標股價上調了347％，至380美元，這表明老牌企業可能會受益於補貼的減少。但是，除了削減補貼外，像shM這樣的新移民可能面臨其他挑戰，包括潛在的關稅上漲。
儘管存在這些障礙，但shM仍將賭注押在其獨特的價值主張上。Afeela擁有45個攝像頭和傳感器，以娛樂爲重點的客艙設計以及可以像智能手機一樣更新的軟件。該公司的目標是通過索尼的娛樂和傳感器專業知識以及本田的汽車製造能力來脫穎而出。
川西指出：「所有業務都有起有落，」 他強調了該合資企業的長期願景。業內專家認爲，對於特斯拉主導的市場的新進入者來說，年銷量爲3萬至40,000輛將被視爲成功，特斯拉控制着美國電動汽車銷量的大約一半。
自11月6日特朗普大選獲勝以來，以電動汽車爲重點的交易所交易基金，包括景順電動汽車金屬大宗商品策略K-1號ETF（納斯達克股票代碼：EVMT）、Amplify鋰和電池技術ETF（紐約證券交易所代碼：BATT）、KraneShares電動汽車和未來出行指數ETF（紐約證券交易所代碼：KARS），均處於虧損狀態。
免責聲明：此內容部分是在人工智能工具的幫助下製作的，並由Benzinga的編輯審閱和發佈。
