Two years ago at CES, Sony made quite a splash when it unveiled a prototype car on stage at a press conference; at CES 2022, the company announced an updated version of this car and the surprising news that Sony will soon be entering the automotive business

Specifically, Sony will establish a new company called Sony Mobility this spring with the goal of bringing Sony's technological savvy to the automotive world In theory, Sony will work with automakers to incorporate advances in mobility that the company is experimenting with in prototype cars, but eventually, Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said, the company may consider launching its own electric vehicle commercially

While there is a lot of distance between considering launching its own EV and actually doing so, it is still a pretty big deal for Sony to be so upfront about its automotive ambitions Yoshida called it a "bold step into the future," which is a bit of an understatement

The Vision S prototype on stage at this year's CES was an SUV and appeared alongside the 2020 Vision S sedan Like that car, Sony says it focuses on safety, adaptability, and entertainment

To that end, the Vision S SUV is equipped with 40 sensors inside and outside the vehicle that monitor safety Inside, each passenger has an adaptable cabin and is equipped with 5G connectivity As for entertainment, the car will feature both games and audio, hoping to entertain the passengers without distracting the driver

Sony's automotive efforts began amidst rumors that Apple is planning its own Apple Car For now, Sony seems a little more confident that its vision of mobility is moving closer to reality