This is the Sony car that will never be built

Its existence is as much of a surprise as its design. That is gimmick-free and hardly futuristic, the four-door sedan pleasingly smooth and well balanced but notably generic. It is electric, naturally, powered by a pair of 268bhp electric motors for a 0-62mph time of 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 149mph. The cabin is light, airy and minimalist with – as you might expect – what promises to be a rather good sound system.

“360 Reality Audio” uses speakers built into each seat to encapsulate passengers in “a deep and immersive audio experience”, says the company. There are screens too of course: across the dashboard and on the backs of the front seats. There aren’t many details but Sony promises a “revolutionary in-car entertainment experience”.

Entertainment is just one facet of Sony Corp and its first car reflects that with a raft of technologies aimed at making mobility safer, more reliable and comfortable. To do this it uses all the latest AI (artificial intelligence), communications, imaging, connectivity and cloud-based technologies, and even introduces some new buzzwords. Anyone ever heard of ToF (time of flight)? It’s not a driver aid to get you to the airport on time as you might expect, but rather an in-cabin sensing solution to detect and recognize people and objects inside the car. You read it here first…

The Vision-S is embedded with 33 image sensors and ToF sensors, as well as a solid-state LiDAR distance measurement system, all making up a key part of what Sony calls the car’s “safety cocoon” of advanced driver support and autonomous features.  The cocoon monitors all that is going on 360-degrees around the car as well as inside it, enabling early preparation to help evade risk. Sensor fusion technology means early and accurate recognition of dangers even in challenging conditions such as fog, backlight and night-time driving.

Unveiling Sony’s first car, Sony chief Kenichiro Yoshida called mobility the “next mega-trend”.  Does that mean Sony is about to enter the market with its own Sony car, as other electronics specialists such as Apple and Dyson have threatened to do? It’s unlikely, as nowhere has Sony said it will actually build a car. However, it’s not impossible – we do know that electronics is the future of the car, and Sony obviously knows a thing or three about electronics. Bet they’re hopeless with camshafts though…