Forget Gran Turismo when there’s real touring to do
Vision-S meant to combine Sony’s electronics knowledge with the automobile
Forget the latest PlayStation, Sony has just announced that it has completed a prototype for a new electric car and that it’s currently testing the Sony Vision-S sedan on public roads in Austria.
The announcement was made at CES earlier this week. Sony said that it had begun testing the Vision-S on public roads in that country, saying that development had “reached the next stage.”
Sony has been thin on details about the vehicle so far, saying that the company “intends to contribute to the evolution of mobility by contributing safety, security, and in-car entertainment that generates new excitement,” which is at best rather vague.
On-road testing of the car, which Sony says “processes information from the surrounding environment in real-time using Sony’s advanced sensing technology.” Right now the testing is working on the safety of the vehicle, which still doesn’t explain the company’s plans.
Video footage of the car in testing shows a driver behind the wheel, actively engaged, though it also briefly shows what appears to be an array of screens spanning from pillar to pillar inside the car.
In another video, Frank Klein, president of supplier and contract car builder Magna Steyr called it “just the starting point of our joint cooperation,” which may mean that Sony is planning to expand into car sales itself.
Sony has said previously that the car would be a four-seater, just under 5m long and weighing 2,350 kg, with a top speed of 240 km/g and two 268 hp electric motors, one in front and one in the rear.
