Sony is ramping up preparations for its upcoming entry to the lucrative EV market with the Japanese company searching for new technology partners to help them in the Sony Mobility Inc. venture. The said project, which will start in spring of this year, aims to "transform cars from transportation machines to entertainment spaces".
Izumi Kawanishi, who is the current head of Sony's AI Robotics division, explained in depth Sony's main goal in entering the electric vehicle wars. Kawanishi, who will soon take the reins at Sony Mobility Inc., said that what is happening with electric cars at the present time is similar to the transformation of phones back in the 2000s when they turned into smartphones with the help of information technology.
Kawanishi added that Sony Group sees the risk of ignoring EVs as greater than the challenge that the technology poses. Sony began venturing into electric vehicles back in 2020 when it launched the Vision-S 01 electric sedan at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Sony then followed that up with a Vision-S 02 electric SUV concept at CES 2022.
Austrian company Magna Steyr helped in the building of both of those concepts, with Sony relying on their expertise in developing EVs. Apart from Magna Steyr, Sony also got some help from other companies like Bosch, Valeo, and Almotive in designing and developing those said vehicles.
Sony needs more help, though, if the company wants to make some inroads in the EV market. Leading electric carmaker Tesla and traditional automakers such as Toyota, Stellantis, VW Group, and General Motors have already invested billions of dollars in the research and development of their electric vehicles.
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It is paramount for Sony to do the same and invest huge piles of cash for the building of an EV factory. Sony needs allies in this endeavor and it is paramount that the Japanese company establishes partnerships for its EV goal.
Kawanishi was asked about the possibility of a Chinese company joining forces with Sony in this project. He did not rule out such a partnership, saying that "Sony will pick new partners for its EV project based on the technology they can bring to the project, without regard to their nationality."
It isn't just Sony that wants to grab a share of the pie in the EV market. Other tech companies have announced their intentions of building electric cars like Apple, the Alibaba Group, Xiaomi, Foxconn, Huawei, and LG.
Building electric vehicles are much easier compared to constructing cars with internal combustion engines, thus enticing these companies to join the EV market. The modern electric car relies more and more on tech features such as 5G connectivity, autonomous driving, and infotainment, making this field even more appealing for tech companies.
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