Two years ago the Japanese company Sony surprised at the electronics fair in Las Vegas with the electric car "Vision-S".

At that time, Sony left it open as to whether the vehicle was only intended for test purposes for the sale of Sony technology or as a first step towards becoming an automobile manufacturer.

Patrick Welter

Correspondent for business and politics in Japan, based in Tokyo.

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At this year's CES in Las Vegas, Sony let the cat out of the bag.

"We are exploring a commercial launch of Sony's electric cars," said Sony's President Kenichiro Yoshida at the end of his presentation.

As a creative entertainment company, Sony is well positioned to redefine mobility, said Yoshida.

The company boss had previously presented the second prototype of an electric car, an SUV under the name "Vision-S 02".

Sony remained silent about the schedule for a possible market entry.

Investors on the Tokyo stock exchange honored the announcement with a price increase of more than 4 percent.

New subsidiary

The company, which first grew up with transistor radios and color televisions and then with the Walkman and Playstation, plans to found the subsidiary Sony Mobility as early as the spring. Its aim is to research entry into the rapidly developing market for electric cars. Sony is still holding back details about the number of staff and the size of the subsidiary.

Sony Mobility also takes over the Airpeak camera drone business and the Aibo robot dog, which is available in Japan and the United States.

The artificial intelligence and robot technology with which Sony lets the mechanical dog follow its master could, in a developed form, take over the autonomous control of the electronics company's electric vehicles in the future.

Of course, Sony is lagging behind traditional automotive companies when it comes to developing technology for self-driving cars.

The technology for level two autonomous driving is currently being developed, said a spokesman for the FAZ.

Apple and others are also involved

With the possible entry into the electric car business, Sony is following other electronics companies. The most prominent example is the American company Apple, which has been developing technology for self-driving cars for years and testing it on public roads. Apple is holding talks with potential partners for the production of an electric car without having yet openly admitted to this goal. Taiwan's Foxconn, which assembles smartphones and other devices for Apple and many other electronics manufacturers, unveiled three prototypes of electric cars last year. Foxconn offers its independently developed vehicle platform to other companies for quick entry into the developing market and wants to operate as a contract manufacturer.

Up until now, Sony had primarily served the automotive sector as a supplier.

The Japanese company is a leader in the field of image sensors, which are becoming increasingly important not only for smartphones and cameras, but also for the automotive industry with the development of self-driving cars.

The business with image sensors for the auto industry will remain in the future in the subsidiary Sony Semiconductor Solutions, said a spokesman.

The area of ​​image sensors has become increasingly important for Sony in recent years.

Sony does not disclose what proportion of sales to automobile manufacturers make up.

Silence about partners

Sony works with traditional automotive companies to develop its prototypes. The Vision-S01 was designed by Sony and built in Austria by Magna Steyr, an offshoot of the Canadian company Magna International. Other European partners, including Bosch, according to media reports, collaborated. The Japanese company is silent about whether the new Vision-S02 also emerged from these partnerships. In contrast to the first, more sporty, electric car from Sony, the new SUV has not yet been tested on public roads.

The Vision-S02 is a battery electric car that offers space for up to seven people and, with a large number of screens, should also offer the opportunity to watch or listen to Sony's films or music stars while driving.

In Sony's vision, the cars are connected to data servers via 5G networks, which can be used to import content.

These data connections will become even more important for self-driving cars in the future.

According to Sony, the new prototype uses the same platform as the older model.

The Vision-S01 is powered by two electric motors with a power of 200 kW.