Sony announces Vision-S electric SUV in challenge to Tesla

Sony caused quite a splash at CES two years ago by rolling out a prototype car onto the stage of its press conference. For CES 2022, an updated version of the car returned, along with some surprising news — Sony could soon get into the car business.

Specifically, Sony says it's forming a new company called Sony Mobility this spring with the goal of helping bring Sony's technological flair to the automotive world. In theory, that means Sony would work with automakers to incorporate some of the mobility advances the company is experimenting with on its prototype cars, but ultimately, Sony Kenichiro Yoshida CEO said, Sony might explore the commercial launch of its own electric vehicle.

There's a lot of distance between exploring the launch of your own EV and actually doing it, but it's still a pretty big deal for Sony to be so upfront about its automotive ambitions. Yoshida called it a "bold step into the future," and that's underselling it a little bit.

The Vision S prototype that rolled on to stage this year at CES is an SUV, and it pulled up right alongside the Vision S sedan from 2020. Like that vehicle, Sony says it's put a focus on safety, adaptability and entertainment.

To that end, the Vision S SUV features 40 sensors inside and outside the vehicle that monitor safety. Inside, the cabin is adaptable for each passenger, and the car comes equipped with 5G connectivity. As for entertainment, expect a car equipped with both gaming and audio advances to keep passengers entertained — presumably without distracting the driver.

Sony's automotive push comes as rumors continue to swirl about Apple's plans for its own Apple car, though Cupertino hasn't confirmed anything about that effort. For now, it seems that Sony is a little more confident that vision for mobility is a little closer to reality.

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