Could your next car wear a Sony badge? The electronics giant revealed its Vision-S concept last year – and has now released a video of its radical EV on the road.
In the video, we see the car wearing Austrian number plates, testing on an airfield circuit and in the snow-covered mountains.
Officially, Sony describes the vehicle as a showcase and testbed for future technology. But company CEO Kenichiro Yoshida has already said he believes “the next mega-trend will be mobility”.
- A history of in-car entertainment
We sense the Vision-S is testing the waters for a possible production car.
Watch: Sony Vision-S road and track testing
Slightly smaller than a Tesla Model S – and not dissimilar in style – the Vision-S has been developed for road use by Magna Steyr – the independent manufacturer that builds the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Jaguar I-Pace and Toyota Supra, among others.
Other high-profile partners in the project include Bosch, BlackBerry, Nvidia and Qualcomm.
The car was revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last January.
Read my lips
The stats for the Vision-S look impressive: 544 hp from two electric motors, 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds and a 149mph top speed. However, it’s the technology here that really pushes boundaries.
The 2,350kg Vision-S uses a total of 40 sensors to monitor the car and driver. Although it isn’t fully autonomous, it can change lanes automatically – if the path is clear – when the driver activates the indicator. Digital mirrors also warn of surrounding vehicles, with ‘360 Reality Audio’ to help with gauging distances.
Inside the car, Time of Flight (ToF) sensors monitor the driver’s alertness and can lip-read to assist with voice controls – if other passengers are talking, for example.
Playstation included
Stopping short of actually reading your mind, Sony’s car also learns about its occupants, including their preferred cabin temperature, audio playlists and driving routes. If one of the occupants falls asleep (preferably not the driver), it will dim the interior lights and adjust the surrounding temperature to suit.
Ready to wake up? There’s surround-sound with individual seat speakers, plus integrated Playstation tech. Bring on Gran Turismo 7…
Naturally, the Vision-S also promises to fully integrate with your smartphone (yes, there’s an app) and connect to 5G networks, with software-over-the-air (SOTA) updates on its onboard systems. We suspect Elon Musk is taking notes.
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