How Sony plans to revolutionize its e-cars with built-in Playstation games and autonomous driving
- The shift toward e-mobility is allowing tech companies to enter the lucrative car business.
- Sony unveiled future electric models at CES 2020 and 2022. Prototypes are being tested in Europe.
- It’s focusing primarily on entertainment in the cars.
While the shift toward e-mobility poses major challenges for some traditional automotive manufacturers, it provides a perfect opportunity for companies from outside the sector to enter the industry. In the meantime, it’s no longer just engineering skills and workmanship that are required, but advanced battery technology and innovative digital features.
Technology companies are increasingly looking to enter the market, as they look to take advantage of high profit margins and rising e-car registration numbers.
Tesla’s success has led other technology companies to want to cash in on the industry.
The competition isn’t just coming from Silicon Valley, however; both the South Korean iPhone contract manufacturer Foxconn and the Chinese smartphone manufacturers Xiaomi and Huawei made their car plans public last year.
Sony is focusing on in-car entertainment
There’s also competition coming from Japan. Sony, the country’s third-largest electronics company, is also making a move into the automotive industry.
A Sony executive recently told Reuters that the company’s mobility division, launched about two years ago, aims to turn cars into “entertainment spaces.” To achieve this goal, the PlayStation maker says it’s currently looking for more cooperation partners.
The first prototype was unveiled two years ago
Sony unveiled its first four-wheeled car, which is a near-production prototype, at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2020 in Las Vegas.
At 192.7 inches, the Vision S-01 electric sedan is around 7.9 inches longer than a comparable Tesla Model 3.
The four-door car is based on a newly developed platform with an electric motor on each axle.
Its power is 400 kW, or 544 hp.
The focus is on the infotainment system and automation
The system exceeds the requirements of autonomy level 2 and almost meets level 3, while the vehicle connects to cloud networks via 5G and various sensors analyze its environment in real time.
The infotainment functions from Sony can be operated either via several touchscreens or via gesture or voice control.
The vehicles also feature various Playstation games.
A Model Y competitor was revealed at CES 2022
Sony’s second concept car, which it unveiled at this year’s CES in January, is similar. The seven-seater SUV model Vision S-02 not only adopts the same design, but the two vehicles are also virtually identical in terms of technology.
However, the Japanese company is still rather cagey about the other technical data.
So far, only the weight of 2.5 tons is known, as well as the presumably electronically limited top speed of 112 mph and the dimensions.
The Vision S-02 is also 16 ft long, but 1.2in wider and 7.9in taller.
At CES 2022, Sony made it clear that the group is serious about its car plans.
In the next few months, Sony Mobility will analyze and make a decision on whether entry into the automotive industry would be worthwhile. Setting up its own production facility, in particular, is extremely costly. But if the company does decide to go ahead, it shouldn’t be too long before a market launch.
They’re already testing vehicles in Europe
A prototype of the S-01 sedan has been doing test runs in Europe for some time now. And not just on closed-off routes, but also on public roads. The reliability of the autonomous driving functions and sensor technology is also being put to the test.
There’s a simple reason why Sony’s first car is being put through its paces in the “old world” of Europe and not in Japan. The two concept cars were developed and completed together with Magna Steyr, a supplier and contract manufacturer based in Graz, Austria.
It’s possible that the production versions of the two models will also be manufactured by the Canadian-European company. This would potentially save billions of dollars for the Japanese company while delivering high quality from the start. Magna Steyr currently manufactures the Mercedes G-Class, as well as the BMW Z4, and Toyota Supra, among others.
Sony relies mainly on European know-how
On the technical side, however, Sony has brought even more partner companies on board for its project. Bosch, as well as French supplier Valeo SE, and Hungarian startup Almotive, which specializes in autonomous driving, were also involved in the development of the electric vehicles.
In the future, Sony may also collaborate with Chinese companies in the field. Izumi Kawanishi, who will head the electronics company’s automotive division, told Reuters that Sony selects its potential partners based on their technological expertise rather than nationality. While Chinese corporations often keep to themselves, several countries could benefit economically from Sony’s move into the automaking industry.