Sony look set to get into the electric car business

One of the most curious things to come out of the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has left us with more questions than answers. Sony, the Japanese tech giant, unveiled something fairly leftfield… a car. Or, an electric car to be precise.

The Vision-S prototype was wheeled out during Sony’s keynote speech. The surprise move left those in attendance in slack-jawed wonderment. Nobody knew the company was even working on a car let alone built one.

For its first ever vehicle, it actually looks quite good. In fact, it’s not too dissimilar to a Tesla Model S. Here, take a look…

Inspect the gadgets

Sony is, at this stage anyway, referring to the Vision S as a merely a concept. A fast-forward glimpse of the future and what the brand is capable of.

It has a flashy panoramic sunroof. Lush futuristic leather. And lines that make it look like it’d be a fairly racy number if it was ever unleashed on the roads.

But it was the massive new-age dashboard that really caught the eye. The super-wide, hi-def screen was home to a number of touchscreen options for music, navigation and more. It looked superb.

In fact, we’d be surprised if an already established car manufacturer wasn’t already on the phone to Sony asking to use the idea in its vehicles.

The sensors - all 33 of them inside and out - control the comfort for all the passengers. It also has automated driving capabilities so the driver can take it easy and let the AI guide them home.

Why should we care about the Vision S? Well, it’s not the first time Sony has surprisingly jumped into a market and made it better. After all, everyone thought Nintendo and Sega would rule the console gaming roost forever until the original PlayStation blew them away. Watch this space.