Sony looks out for new tech partners for its electric vehicle project

Sony Group has shared that it is seeking new technology partners for its electric vehicle project in order to establish a mobility business that will help to transform cars from transportation machines to entertainment spaces, said a Sony executive, reported Reuters.

As the auto industry is speeding towards electrification, Izumi Kawanishi, Senior General Manager responsible for the new Sony Mobility business stated the risk of ignoring EVs is greater than the challenge they pose. He also added how the future transformation of vehicles is in some ways similar to how information technology changed phones into smartphones. The company is looking for new partners based on the technology they can bring to the EV project regardless of any specific country, Kawanishi further said.

Sony revealed Vision-S 02 and Vision-S 01, an electric SUV prototype and an electric sedan, in CES 2022 concluded this month. Sony Chief Executive Kenichiro Yoshida, for the first time, suggested that PlayStation manufacturing company aims to turn an EV development project initiated two years ago into a money-making venture.

Sony's EV prototypes have been developed in a factory in Austria that is owned by Canadian auto parts maker Magna International. The latter also produces vehicles for firms that include BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota Motor Corp. Other members of its Europe-based project include German auto parts maker Bosch, French automotive technology company Valeo SE and Hungarian autonomous vehicle start-up AImotive.

With this move, Sony is joining the wagon of technology firms exploring automotive opportunities that include iPhone maker Apple Inc and South Korea's LG Electronics Taiwan's Foxconn.