Sony is set to enter the electric vehicle market with the launch of a new mobility company this Spring, looking “to harness its strengths in entertainment and sensors to play a bigger role in next-generation mobility”.
The announcement was made at the CES 2022 technology trade fair in Las Vegas, where Sony chairman Kenichiro Yoshida said, “With our imaging and sensing, cloud, 5G and entertainment technologies combined with our contents mastery, we believe Sony is well positioned as a creative entertainment company to redefine mobility”.
The company, he added, saw mobility as an “entertainment space” where passengers could chose individual entertainment options and use 5G internet connection.
At the presentation Yoshida also unveiled a prototype sport utility vehicle (SUV), the VISION-S 02, which uses the same electric vehicle platform as the previously announced VISION-S 01 coupe.
Both vehicles featured a host of sensors, installed 360-degrees around the vehicles. This includes high-sensitivity, high-resolution, wide dynamic range image sensors and lidar designed to accurately sense three-dimensional space.
Through its advanced sensor and communication technologies, Sony believes it can provide greater safety and comfort. The tech company is currently conducting functional verification tests in Europe on public roads, as it works towards the release of Level 2+ advanced driver assistance systems.
Sony says it will establish a new company, Sony Mobility Inc, to accelerate the efforts of “exploring the commercial launch of Sony’s EV”.
