Chevrolet put a radio in a car for the first time in 1922 (immediately triggering legislative proposals to outlaw car radios amid concerns about distracted driving). Ever since, the car business and the electronics business have circled one another.
So perhaps it’s fitting that, 100 years later, an electronics company may finally build and market a car. Two of them. Meet the Sony Vision S-01 sedan and Vision S-02 SUV.
The Walkman Company Launches an Electric Car Division
Sony used this week’s CES consumer electronics show to launch a new division called Sony Mobility Inc., through which the company “intends to explore entry into the EV market.”
Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida used his speech at the show to reveal two electric car prototypes. They’re more than vaporware – Yoshida showed footage of testers driving the cars on public roads in Europe and the U.S.
One Sedan, One Crossover
The Vision S-01 is a sedan roughly the size of the Tesla Model S. The Vision S-02 is a crossover built on the same platform, with a taller ride height but otherwise nearly identical.
Each uses two electric motors – one on the front axle and one on the rear – with a total of 536 horsepower. An adjustable air suspension system can change ride height by 0.6 inches, while independent double-wishbone front and rear suspension should make the ride relatively sporty.
Those are the only mechanical details Sony shared. After all, this is the PlayStation company. They wanted to talk electronics.
Autonomous Future, Entertainment Present
The cars come prepared for a Level 2 autonomous driving system (one that requires constant driver attention, like GM’s Super Cruise). Sony plans to upgrade that to full-autonomous driving as the technology and regulations evolve.
“The vehicle will include a new function that allows users to customize the display theme and the acceleration and deceleration sounds of the vehicle,” Sony says. Users. Not drivers. This is an electronics company, after all.
Speakers are built into the seats to “create a three-dimensional sound field,” the company says. A digital movie service Sony calls Bravia Core allows users to show the same film on a panoramic front screen and separate rear screens in front of each passenger.
And, yes, you can play games in the cars. “Gaming capabilities have expanded to being able to play PlayStation games through a remote connection to a console at home, in addition to the ability to play streaming games through the cloud,” Sony says.
A Lot of Unanswered Questions
So, will a Sony car dealership be opening in your neighborhood this year?
Don’t count on it yet. Launching a new car company is complex. Sony will need to establish a way to sell and service the cars. The company has given no hint about how it may do that.
But, after decades in which automotive startups almost invariably failed, several companies have gone from paper sketch to successful automaker in recent years. Tesla paved the way, successfully carving a sales model that didn’t depend on establishing a massive dealership network to succeed. Electric truckmaker Rivian followed a similar path and delivered its first models last year. Startup Lucid Motors did the same.
As a multinational corporation with deep pockets and experience in worldwide distribution, Sony has advantages none of them had.
