Sony Group Corporation has unveiled another electric vehicle concept at CES 2022, and it’s considering the possibility of entering the EV market soon
Japanese electronics manufacturer Sony is planning to enter the electric mobility space. The manufacturer has unveiled its second EV concept at CES 2022, a 7-seater SUV, christened Vision-S 02. It shares a few design similarities with Sony’s first EV concept – Vision-S 01 sedan – that was unveiled at CES 2020.
Kenichiro Yoshida, CEO at Sony, confirmed in his keynote at CES 2022 that the company is “exploring the commercial launch of Sony EV”. The electronic manufacturer will be establishing a new vertical – Sony Mobility – by the end of May this year for its potential entry into the EV market. Vision-S 01 is already in the road testing phase, and work on Vision-S 02 is expected to begin soon.
Vision-S 01 (previously known only as Vision-S) and Vision-S 02 get rounded LED headlamps, sleek LED taillights, a curvy roofline, and rear-view cameras on doors (instead of ORVMs). The interiors are also similar between the two, with a four-screen setup in the front of the cabin (three on the dashboard, one on the lower centre console). Seatback screens are available for the second row.
The company has claimed that occupants would be able to watch movies or play games in the car. Both Sony EVs are expected to be powered by two 200 kW electric motors, one on each axle, effectively making them AWD cars. The sedan has a claimed weight of 2,350 kg, while the SUV is a little heavier at 2,480 kg.
Also, Sony is gunning for autonomous driving; both the Vision-S 01 and 02 will get multiple LIDAR and CMOS image sensors, which will give the car semi-autonomous driving capabilities. With almost every major carmaker (and other technology companies) developing autonomous vehicle tech, we just might see fully-autonomous cars in the coming years!
Plenty of other tech giants have also been showing interest in electric mobility, including Apple, Xiaomi, Oppo (BBK Electronics), Foxconn, etc. Electric vehicles are the future of mobility, and carmakers all around the world are electrifying their product portfolio. Some manufacturers, like Porsche, Bentley, Volvo, Jaguar, etc., have already announced that they would be switching over completely to electric mobility in the coming years.
