From the folks who brought you Betamax and MiniDisc, Sony on Monday rolled out its Vision-S concept car at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and it's full of tech that may see the light of day sometime soon.
The Vision-S concept that rolled across the stage isn't likely to signal Sony's intention to build cars anytime soon—car making isn't entirely lucrative, you know. Instead, the Vision-S is a look at Sony's in-car technology that may eventually make its way into other automakers' cars in the near future.
There's plenty to be found, too. The Vision-S concept is equipped with 33 sensors that include 12 cameras, three solid-state lidar sensors, and nearly 20 radar and ultrasonic sensors. The combined hardware not only monitors traffic and the road ahead, but also the driver and passengers inside the car. Sony said its camera and sensor array would be capable of Level 2 driver-assistance features already available, but its software could be upgradeable to Level 4 autonomy, which isn't yet available to the public.
The cameras also recognize passengers and drivers when they approach the vehicle and can load individual presets.
Sony Vision-S concept car
Sony Vision-S concept car
Sony Vision-S concept car
Inside, the Vision-S includes Sony's latest audio tech for cars, including in-seat speakers that are likely to appear in some models soon. A breathtaking number of speakers are included in the Vision-S—more than 30—including a pair in each of the four seatbacks for theater-quality levels of audio in the car. A massive panoramic screen spans the width of the dash. In addition to the instrument cluster, central infotainment screen, and passenger-side screen, the Vision-S includes monitors at each end of the dash for its camera-based side view mirrors.
All of that sounds like plausible stuff we could see in cars within the next five years.
Where the Vision-S takes a turn is in the details, namely, in how real it looks.
Sony Vision-S concept car
Unlike pie-in-the-sky concepts from other suppliers, the Sony Vision-S has a steering wheel, switchgear, a measured wheelbase (118.1 inches) and length (192.7 inches), and weight and power specs. Sony says dual 268-horsepower electric motors power each axle and the Vision-S can accelerate to 62 mph in 4.8 seconds. The Vision-S weighs more than 5,100 pounds and rides on 21-inch wheels with staggered-width tires, 245 mm and 275 mm, front and rear, respectively. That's a roughly similar to the Porsche Taycan, though the Porsche's wheelbase is shorter and its performance figures are more impressive. (The Vision-S even looks like a Taycan, especially from the front if we're honest.)
The Verge reported Monday that the Vision-S's EV platform comes from Magna, which may supply it to interested automakers looking for off-the-shelf platforms. (Ahem, Jag and FCA.)
We're looking forward to seeing where Sony's tech goes, because it's clearly going somewhere soon.
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