Auto: SONY Pushes into Electric Auto with Vision

Photo of Sony's Vision-S electric vehicle prototype. Courtesy of Sony

Sony made waves at the big tech show, CES, in Las Vegas by unveiling an electric vehicle prototype under what the tech giant calls its "Vision-S" initiative. Why it matters: This adds another player — and a deep-pocketed one — into the competitive EV design and tech field.“I believe the next megatrend will be mobility, as vehicles become more connected, autonomous, shared and electric in the coming years,” CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said onstage at CES last night. But, but, but: It's not yet clear, as The Verge points out, whether the car is ever meant to go into production, or whether it's instead a way to package concepts and tech that could be used by others. The big picture: Either way, Sony clearly is looking to position itself in the future of transportation.“To deepen our understanding of cars in terms of their design and technologies, we gave a shape to our vision,” Yoshida said. Where it stands: Sony said it's the result of work with partners including the giant auto supplier Magna, Bosch, BlackBerry, Qualcomm and others.But the CES presentation and a new website lack information on commercial plans for the ideas around in-car entertainment, sensing, and more that Sony is touting.Yoshida also said the newly designed platform for the vehicle can be applied to other vehicle types like SUVs. What's next: Engadget's Mariella Moon notes there are "lots of questions for Sony to answer.""We need more details on its pretty elaborate in-car entertainment features, and what is the company planning to do after this concept?" she writes -Axios