TOKYO – Sony The team will probably add new technology partners to it tram A Sony executive said: Reuters.
A constant change to Electric Car, easier to build than those with internal combustion engines, is allowing newcomers to enter vehicle production. At the same time, autonomous driving and 5G connectivity are expected to reimagine the auto industry by turning the car into a mobile platform for information and entertainment services.
Izumi Kawanishi, senior general manager who will manage a new Sony Mobility business, said in an interview: “We see the risk of abandoning electric vehicles as greater than the challenge they pose. The upcoming transformation of the automobile is similar to how information technology has turned a phone into a smartphone, he added.
Announcing that new mobile creation at the CES tech fair in Las Vegas this month, Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida first suggested that the PlayStation console’s creator would attempt to make a EV development project started two years ago into a money-making venture.
“We understand that speed is important,” said Kawanishi, who joined the Japanese consumer electronics company as a software engineer in 1986 and heads Sony’s Aibo AI Robotics division. in decision making. robot pet.
Kawanishi declined to say whether a final decision on whether to continue would come this year.
PARTNER
So far, Sony has built two Prototype EV “Vision” with a factory in Austria owned by Canadian auto parts maker Magna International, which also produces cars for brands including BMW car, Mercedes Benz and Toyota Motor Corp.
Other European-based project members include German auto parts manufacturer Bosch, France automatic technology company Valeo SE and Hungary self-driving car Start AIMotive.
To bring EVs to market, Sony will likely have to invest a lot in plant and equipment. Tesla Inc, which delivered its first electric vehicle in 2008, spent billions of dollars to make its business possible.
Sony will also have to go head-to-head with traditional automakers, such as Toyota, General Motors Co and Volkswagen AG, is spending tens of billions of dollars to beat EV newcomers.
Sony is one of a growing list of technology companies exploring automotive opportunities, including iPhone maker Apple Inc, South Korea’s LG Electronics Taiwan Foxconn, and Of China Alibaba Group
Mr. Kawanishi said Sony will choose new partners for its electric vehicle project based on the technology they can bring to the project, regardless of their nationality, when asked if Sony would work with other companies. Chinese company or not.
(Reporting by Tim Kelly and Shinji Kitamura; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
Related videos:
