Multinational tech company Sony has officially entered the electric car scene.
According to CNN, the Japan-based conglomerate announced plans to launch its own electric car company this year, calling the subsidiary “Sony Mobility Inc.” Its prototype, the Vision-S 02 SUV, was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on January 4.
Photo by Joe Buglewicz/AP
“With our imaging and sensing, cloud, 5G and entertainment technologies combined with our content mastery, we believe Sony is well positioned as a creative entertainment company to redefine mobility,” Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said during the event. “The excitement we received after we showed off the (original) Vision-S really encouraged us to further consider how we can bring creativity and technology to change the experience of moving from one place to another.”
The new SUV will use sensors for autonomous driving, while Sony tech will make it possible for riders to play video games while connected to PlayStation consoles at home. Its predecessor, the Vision-S 01, debuted two years ago and began testing on public roads in Europe in late 2020. The latest update was in April 2021, when the company initiated 5G driving tests.
A statement released by Sony said that they aimed to “make the best use” of AI and robotics technology.
“With VISION-S, which contributes to the evolution of mobility, together with the autonomous entertainment robot Aibo, and the drone Airpeak, Sony will seek to continue to create new value in a variety of fields,” the statement read. Sony also specified that the new SUV will use the same EV/cloud platform as the Vision-S 01.
Sony’s newest venture joins the likes of other big companies looking to get into the EV market. In recent years, Apple has dropped hints of developing its own Apple car while electronics giant Foxconn (the company that assembles iPhones) has expressed desire in manufacturing electric vehicles.
Art Daniella Sison
