Sony EV prototype makes Japan debut

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:53 JST, March 29, 2021

Sony’s prototype electric car, the VISION-S, was publicly unveiled in Japan for the first time on Sunday at the EV: Life Futakotamagawa event held in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo.

Equipped with Sony’s signature high-performance image sensors, the vehicle uses artificial intelligence and other technologies to detect people and objects in its surroundings for an extra layer of safety. The VISION-S also features Level 2 driver assistance, which enables the vehicle to automatically perform multiple operations, such as steering and braking.

First presented at CES, a consumer electronics and information technology trade show in the U.S., in January 2020, the prototype underwent public road testing in Austria in December 2020.

Sony plans to begin conducting road tests in Japan by the end of this year.

Although the company does not plan to mass-produce the vehicle at this time, Izumi Kawanishi, Sony’s executive officer, said, “We intend to continue enhancing how we create mobile spaces, encompassing their relationship with the cloud and other networks.”