The motives of the Japanese corporation, which forced it to create a single copy of the Vision-S electric car, was reported by the Nikkei Asian Review, whose representatives attended the “driving presentation” of the car last Monday. Until March next year, the prototype will begin to be tested on public roads, not only in Japan but also in the United States and Europe.

Sony is not going to compete with automakers. On the contrary, with the help of such demonstration samples, it seeks to attract the attention of these same manufacturers to its products – optical sensors. According to Techno Systems Research, Sony holds only 8.6% of the automotive image sensor market, although it is the largest supplier of these products in the smartphone market. Similar projects are designed to change the balance of power – after the Vision-S, a second prototype will be created, which will receive even more Sony sensors. A set of 33 optical sensors from the previously demonstrated electric vehicle is designed to provide reliable recognition of surrounding objects and obstacles, even in difficult weather conditions such as blinding sunlight, night rain, or fog. The Austrian Magna Steyr helped create an electric vehicle for Sony’s sensor demonstration. Other vehicles can be built on this platform, including crossovers. Sony officials admit that work on the Vision-S has already attracted the attention of several auto parts and automotive customers. The concept did not do without a surround sound speaker system. The initiative demonstrates Sony’s willingness to participate in revenue sharing in the autopilot market.