Tech

Sony's Vision-S concept is a beauty of an electric car

It looks even better in person.

Sony surprised us all at CES 2020 with the reveal of its Vision-S, an electric concept car that's built around three pillars: safety, adaptability, and entertainment. With this sleek prototype vehicle, which was designed in partnership with a manufacturer called Magna Australia, Sony says it wants to show its vision toward the evolution of mobility." In other words, the Vision-S is what the company thinks cars of the (near) future will look like, and it created it to learn, understand and improve a number of aspects of the driving experience, including the safety of autonomous vehicles.

There's no guarantee the Vision-S Prototype will ever hit the road on a mainstream level, at least not in its current form, but the fact Sony is exploring the EV space is interesting all on its own. The more competition there is, the better.

Good looks — I don't know about you, but I find Sony's Vision-S to be super sexy. My first thought after it was unveiled is that it looks a little bit like a Tesla Model 3 (especially from the front), though there are details throughout the exterior (and interior) of the car that make it particularly easy on the eye. It may be a small feature, but I love the strip of lights that go across the the Vision-S' hood and trunk — and after seeing them light up in person, that feeling only grew more. Altogether, there are 33 sensors on the EV, most of which are used for its autonomous capabilities.

On the inside, the Vision-S seems to be quite spacious and, as a result, comfortable to be in for both driver and passengers. Meanwhile, a massive panoramic screen takes over the car's dashboard, which is part of Sony's focus on entertainment with the Vision-S. Sony says that the user interface will be "extremely intuitive," letting passengers easily watch movies, TV shows or other videos.

And just to top it all off, Sony donned the cabin with 360 Reality Audio on each seat and a speaker layout that's designed for people to have individual or shared audio experiences. The Vision-S is, essentially, a movie theater on wheels.

More to come — We'll see over time where Sony goes with this project. But, if the Vision-S is just a small glimpse at what it can offer, then I can't wait to what other smart (and stunning) cars the company might have up its sleeve.