Sony Car – More Than a Concept?
By Edward A. Sanchez – Jan. 14, 2021
To the surprise of many, Sony unveiled its Vision-S concept car at CES 2020. Nearly all attendees were caught unawares. Even many employees within Sony were reportedly startled by the project, finding out about it mere days before its reveal. At the time, Sony downplayed any prospects of series production, and positioned the Vision-S as simply a showcase for its automotive-related systems, sensors, and processors. Yet here we are again at the CES 2021 virtual event, and the Vision-S is once again taking the center stage. This time, Sony is showing videos of the car going through rigorous testing in Austria, where contract manufacturer Magna Steyr assembled the prototype.
Now, the case could be made that the testing process is simply to ensure the durability and reliability of the systems using Sony’s components, so that whatever systems or components they offer to OEMs are thoroughly vetted and will withstand the rigors of an automotive environment. But a lot of durability testing of components and sub-systems in terms of shock, vibration, temperature, and humidity, can be done in a laboratory environment. Which makes me think Sony has potentially bigger plans for the Vision-S.
A video Sony released shows the Vision-S interior involves a rather sizable screen, video monitors in lieu of side mirrors, and sensors aimed toward the driver.
Although single-brand consumer electronics “stores” really gained attention with the Apple and Microsoft stores of the 2010s, Sony had branded retail locations in North America going back to the early 2000s. Sony closed the majority of its bespoke retail locations in the U.S. in 2015. The only remaining retail location until just this last year was the company’s store on Madison Avenue in New York City. The location was yet another unfortunate victim of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even the future of Apple’s highly successful retail model is not a foregone conclusion in the aftermath of COVID-19. In many locations, they’re operating strictly on an appointment-only curbside basis, or temporarily closed altogether. But looking past the pandemic, the Vision-S could be the perfect catalyst to spark interest in the Sony brand once again.
Naturally, the launching of a car brings a lot of long-tail baggage and obligations with it, including service and maintenance, delivery logistics, etc. Tesla has proven it can be done outside of a traditional franchise dealer network, but not without challenges. Perhaps the company would partner with electronics retail chains that have service bays for installing car audio, such as Best Buy. However, doing car audio installations versus bumper-to-bumper automotive repair and maintenance is a whole other game.
Perhaps the persistent and increasing rumors of the Apple Car being a real thing has prompted Sony to reconsider the role and future of the Vision-S. The fact that it has what appears to be a fully functional, road-worthy prototype puts it hypothetically several years ahead of any potential Apple Car.
Although consumer mindshare of the Apple brand is immense, Sony has a long enough history globally and in the U.S. market that nearly everyone has probably owned a Sony product of some sort over the years. But how can we tell if Sony is truly pursuing full-fledge vehicle production? If the Vision-S makes an appearance at CES in 2022, at that point it would be safe to say Sony is serious about bringing an actual car to market.
(Images courtesy Sony)
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