Posted on 01/10/2020 10:44:20 AM PST by Red Badger
The Vision-S concept car was unveiled Monday at CES
Sony's new Vision-S EV concept may look a little bland on the outside, but it's what's inside that counts. _____________________________________________________________________
At CES this year, everyone expected Sony to unveil the new PS5 video game console, but instead it unveiled a logo. Meanwhile, absolutely no one expected Sony to reveal its own electric vehicle, but on Monday night the company drove one out onstage.
It’s called Vision-S. According to a press release, that’s the name of Sony’s new mobility initiative, and this EV is the “first prototype vehicle to result from [it].” The four-door sedan has a healthy dose of Tesla and a pinch of the Porsche Taycan in the design, but the noteworthy developments are all in the technology.
The Verge was at the reveal in Las Vegas, Nevada. Here is Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida speaking about the Vision-S vehicle:
VIDEO AT LINK
That’s right, Yoshida says nothing about horsepower, motors or range. But that’s not the point. As The Verge writes, it “is meant to showcase the Japanese tech conglomerate’s many different strengths, from entertainment products to camera sensors and more,” specifically as they pertain to applications within the automotive and mobility industries.
Sony’s EV stands out from others in the field with its 33 sensors “embedded within the vehicle, in order to detect and recognise people and objects inside and outside the car, and provide highly advanced driving support,” according to the press release. (A taste of the autonomous driving tech which is a big part of the company’s mobility strategy.) But it also follows suit with the industry in other aspects, including the car’s panoramic screen which runs from the driver to the passenger side, eschewing a traditional dashboard.
Yoshida’s presentation was short, and Sony hasn’t followed up with many additional details (like, say, if they will release an actual car or if this is simply a proof of concept). But the CEO did say that the car’s platform could accommodate other vehicles types, such as SUVs.
When we said the car industry is becoming more like the tech industry, we meant it.
Sony, the one and only.
If they can make a car as good as they made BetaCam VTRs, they might do well.
The Not-Walk Man...
Not bad looking. If it has typical Japanese quality and reliability, some established e-car makers should start shaking in their boots.
Given my experience with the electronics of German cars, they can kiss their sorry soon-to-be Muslem *sses goodbye.
Very good!
It better have an awesome sound system standard.
Samsung is in there, too...
Kewl! A car you can drive and play Call of Duty and listen to the in-dash Walkman all at the same time!
No engine noise!..............
My brother is part of the group that does this.
PS-5 optional!...................
Looks similar...................
Sony makes some seriously quality stuff. Lasts a long time too. Like decades long.
Sony: Soon, Only Not Yet...
Concept? It’s a friggn tesla!
LOL. Good one.
And, hey, this car looks pretty nice. Good for Sony. Haven’t bought one of their products in decades but they we pretty innovative 30+ years ago. Hope they can turn this vehicle into reality.
“Yoshida says nothing about horsepower, motors or range. But that’s not the point.”
Then apparently the point is just a demo platform for their other tech products.
As an ex-Sony fanboy, I’ll assume that it will indeed check all the desirable boxes for what customers think they want - and will go no farther, using fragile tech stacks to achieve some specs, the UI will have oddly annoying/dangerous quirks, and will be deliberately limited on some factors which it could otherwise do. Based on concrete examples I’ve bought, I’d expect: the no-contact key will fail a USB device driver update and remain physical-key-only from then on; you’ll get a “Update complete, tap OK to continue” in the middle of complex/dangerous traffic; the battery will be 100kW/h but will only allow use of middle 60kW/h charge range for reasons; high-speed home charging will be available but require an electrical infrastructure only available in Japan. Otherwise, it will be freaking awesome.
(Do I sound bitter? I should.)
“It better have an awesome sound system standard.”
The latest in MiniDisc and MagicGate technology!
That’s why Tesla is trying so hard to get so far ahead: by the time the rest of the industry (both automotive and robotic) takes interest and starts running, Tesla must already be at a spec list way beyond what they can catch up to any time soon.
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