Sony Vision-S
The Sony Vision-S is an all-electric automobile platform that was developed by Sony, with the first model unveiled at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas as the Vision-S Concept. When the second concept was unveiled in 2022 as the Vision-S 02, the original concept was retroactively renamed to Vision-S 01. Sony plans to use the Vision-S platform to develop future electric vehicles under a new wholly-owned subsidiary, Sony Mobility Inc., which will assume responsibility for the Vision-S platform and vehicle development in the spring of 2022. The Vision-S platform is fully electric and designed to emphasize the user experience of autonomous driving, as well as accommodate the growth of technology in future models.
Sony Vision-S
History[edit]
The Vision-S concept was designed by Sony's AI/Robotics division in collaboration with multiple companies in the automotive sector, including Magna International,[3][4][5] Continental AG, Elektrobit,[6] Benteler, and Bosch, featuring the latest technologies from Sony and its partners related to the automotive sector, such as always-on connectivity, sensory devices, and autonomous driving.[7][8] The first Vision-S was manufactured by Magna Steyr.[9] The project was led by Sony's AI/Robotics team, previously responsible for the AIBO robotic dog, and engineering and initial testing were performed at the Magna-Steyr facilities in Graz, Austria.[5]
At the 2021 CES, Sony provided an update on the Vision-S concept after road testing to refine the vehicle's sensor suite and features.[9] Izumi Kawanishi, the chief executive of Sony AI/Robotics, outlined Sony's vision in a May 2021 keynote address; like AIBO and the autonomous drone Airpeak also unveiled at the 2021 CES, Vision-S was meant to showcase Sony's development of artificial intelligence. The three guiding concepts of Vision-S are safety, entertainment, and adaptability; safety would be implemented through autonomous driving, while entertainment is what Sony is perhaps best known for, and adaptability refers to the planned continuous evolution of features as well as contributions to environmental sustainability.[10]
For the 2022 CES, Sony exhibited a second concept based on the same platform, the Vision-S 02 sport-utility vehicle and announced they were forming a new company, Sony Mobility, which will focus on the group's electric car efforts.[11] In March 2022, Sony and Honda announced they would launch an unnamed joint venture to plan, develop, and sell battery-electric vehicles starting in 2025. Initially, the vehicles would be manufactured at one of Honda's existing factories.[12]
Competitive models: