Sony, a Japanese tech company, has announced plans to launch an electric vehicle company in the course of the year as it unveiled a new sports utility vehicle concept.
Sony CEO, Kenichiro Yoshida, disclosed this at the CES consumer tech trade show, noting that the company will set up a new operating subsidiary called ‘Sony Mobility Inc’ in the coming months.
Yoshida further stated that with Sony’s imaging and sensing, cloud, 5G and entertainment technologies combined with its content mastery, it is believed that Sony is in the best position as a creative entertainment company to redefine mobility.
Best known for its electronic gadgets and entertainment products, Sony plans to use AI and robotics in its new EV business. It unveiled the Vision-S 02, an SUV prototype, at the CES conference in Las Vegas.
Two years ago, Sony introduced its first prototype vehicle, the Vision-S 01, which it started testing on the streets of Europe in December 2020.
In a press release, the company stated that the new SUV would use the same EV cloud platform as the first model.
The concept SUV uses Sony (SNE) sensors to enable some self-driving functions and makes use of the company’s expertise in entertainment. Passengers would also be able to play video games on motion while connected to their PlayStation consoles at home.
However, it is unclear whether the company hopes to build cars under its own brand or partner with other automakers.
