Did Sony Make a car?

What if Sony built a car? Well they did. The Sony Vision-S Concept. You know, the makers of the Sony Walkman. The Sony Mirrorless Cameras. And even the famous Sony PlayStation. They have set their sights high with the new Sony Vision-S Concept, which they revealed last week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The reveal came as a total surprise to those in the automotive industry. At Napleton News, that gets a Viva Las Vegas from us!

Here’s what we know about the Sony Vision-S Concept

Sony doesn’t just decide one day that they would like to enter the automotive space with a car of their own. It takes a bit of planning, designing, outsourcing, parts acquisition and more. In this case, they relied on companies who already dabble in the space. These include the R&D arms of such established companies as Bosch, Nvidia, Continental, Qualcomm, ZF and more. Together, they sourced parts, hardware, software and designs to produce actual vehicles. This resulted in a prototype powered by a pair of 268 horsepower motor-generators capable of 0-60 times of 4.7 seconds.

But rather than show a working prototype of their first entry into the retail automotive segment, the Vision-S is designed to highlight what Sony can offer those already in the space. These include complete software solutions ranging from infotainment to complete car electronics to Level 2 semiautonomous driving suites. Highlighting this CES: A large wraparound screen that forms the Vision-S’s dashboard. Sony designers and engineers have conceived a system that can be offered as a complete solution for other automakers. All an existing automaker would need to do is call up the Sony parts depot, place an order, and cut a check.

Sony Vision-S Concept: Coming to a dealership near you?

There are a bunch of mixed messages that are in play. Autoweek reports Sony has “flatly denied any production chances,” while the Sony company itself has said they are establishing an operating company, “Sony Mobility, Inc, in the spring of 2022, through which we intend to explore entry into the EV market.”

What Sony displayed at the CES was more than just a working prototype. Similarly sized to a BMW 5-series, it looked very production-ready. The Sony Vision-S Concept was complete down to license plate insets and door handles. Other features gave this Sony the appearance of being more a working prototype than a pie-in-the-sky concept vehicle.

It’s just a matter of time before Sony and other non-traditional automakers toss their hats into the ring. Apple has been rumored to be working on an EV involving a partner like Hyundai or BMW.

Ready to go?

The Sony Vision-S could enter production at the Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria. This facility built the Sony prototype and production could ramp up organically. After all, this was the facility that built the BMW 5-series, Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, Toyota Supra and BMW Z4 models.

So naturally, it would seem a no-brainer. As they used to say in the old days, watch this space.