Sony is a popular Japanese company and it is well known for its electronics. They are known for their audio prowess, their Xperia phones, the PlayStation and cameras. Some people are also aware of their other businesses, which is Sony Pictures (they own Spiderman) and Sony Music which is a beheamoth in the music industry.
We expect them to release products from such product lines but their 2020 CES reveal was a surprise.
Today, Sony decided to reveal a concept car and they call it the Sony Vision S.
This is an electric concept saloon car that seems to have borrowed some design elements from Porsche and Telsa.
Sony says it has 33 sensors that montior “the inside and outside of the car” just like modern cars. They also claim it offers 360 degree audio which will provide an immersive audio experience in the car.
They also tout that the Vision S will come with an “intuitive user interface”. It has a wide screen that will show driving information or entertainment. The heavy focus on entertainment is not new since Sony is in the entertainment business and they will definitely leverage on that to push their content in this car.
Sony also says that the concept car is built on a “newly designed AV platform” and it would allow it to be applied in other vehicle types. This means that they have plans to extend this technology on other vehicle types so maybe we will see other Sony made vehicles in the future.
Son is also partnering with a lot of partners which includes Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Here Maps and surprisingly Blackberry. I can assume that NVIDIA provides the processing power for the entertainment system while Qualcomm provides the modems for connectivity and Here provides the mapping coverage. My best guess for Blackberry’s involvment is their QNX Car Platform and it is surprising that they haven’t mentioned any Android Auto or Apple Car Play support.
This is a pretty interesting idea from Sony. However, it looks like a conduit to offer their other services (Sony Pictures, Sony Music, Sony PlayStation etc) while still offering the best of the electric car system.
