Sony unveils electric SUV as part of push into EV market

Sony on Tuesday unveiled a prototype for a new SUV-style electric vehicle called the Vision-S 02, a follow-up to its electric sedan Vision-S 01.

The Tokyo-based tech company displayed the car at the CES 2022 conference, rolling out a sleek gray crossover/SUV at the end of its show.

CEO Kenichiro Yoshida also announced Sony was starting a new company called Sony Mobility Inc. to focus on the development of electric vehicles.

“Sony Mobility Inc. will harness the potential of mobility,” Yoshida said, adding the company was exploring a commercial launch for electric vehicles. “This is a bold step into the future.”

Sony called its entry into the electric vehicle market a way to “promote the accommodation of a large variety of lifestyles within a society where values are becoming increasingly diversified” in a video and news release on Tuesday.

Sony, known as a gaming company for its popular Playstation consoles, says it plans to revolutionize its electric vehicles as an entertainment space with 360 degree audio, 5G tech and in-car gaming experiences.

“We believe Sony is well-positioned as a creativity-themed company to redefine mobility,” Yoshida said.

Sony showed off its first prototype of the Vision-S 01 in 2020 and the company began developing and testing the vehicle in Europe last year.

The electric vehicle market is heating up as automakers across the world look toward the future of automobiles in an era where nations want to phase out gasoline-powered vehicles.

Other popular EV startups include Rivian, which has won the backing of Ford and Amazon, as well as California-based Lucid, a rival of the popular EV automaker Tesla.