Re-issue the concept model, set up a car manufacturing company, "Sony Dafa good" in the new energy track to play?

The new energy vehicle track is gradually crowded. On January 5, according to Sony's official website, at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Sony exhibited an SUV prototype, and Sony President and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida announced the establishment of Sony Mobility Inc. to commercialize Sony Mobility Inc. In recent years, Japan's established manufacturers are accelerating their transformation, and Sony has also been unable to escape this fate. However, today's electric vehicle field has become a must for the transformation of major companies, Sony certainly has its accumulated years of technical advantages, but there are also technical shortcomings that can not be ignored, the future can be in the electric vehicle market and the big guys to compete remains to be seen.

The second concept car

During CES, Sony exhibited the VISION-S 01, a prototype that was tested on public roads, and the VISION-S 02, a prototype SUV that unveiled itself in a new look.

As early as CES 2020, Sony had exhibited vision-S 01, which is equipped with 33 different sensors inside and outside the body, multiple widescreen displays and 360° immersive audio systems, and parts suppliers include well-known companies in the industry such as BlackBerry, Bosch and Magna.

As for vision-S 02, Kenichiro Yoshida said that the development of this car is based on safety, adaptability and entertainment. "Safety has always been a top priority in creating a comfortable travel experience, and this has not changed when this SUV was developed, with a total of 40 sensors installed inside and outside the car to monitor the safety of the vehicle."

Kenichiro Yoshida revealed that Sony is exploring the commercialization of Sony's electric vehicle business. "In terms of adaptability, we have connectivity that allows us to build a vehicle that is constantly evolving. It can also provide personalized cabins for each user. With 5G technology, high-speed, high-capacity and low-latency connectivity can be achieved between in-vehicle systems and the cloud. VIsion-S also evolves mobility into an entertainment space. ”

In the past two years, Sony has been preparing for entering the field of electric vehicles and even the field of autonomous driving. In 2020, Sony and its partners started public road tests in Austria to evaluate the safety and sony technology of vision-S 01; in April 2021, Sony Group and Vodafone started vision-S Prototype's 5G driving test in Oldenhofen, Germany, to verify the low-latency transmission of various sensor data acquired by the vehicle to the cloud, as well as the possibility of real-time control.

As a former consumer electronics giant and now a film and television entertainment tycoon, the news of Sony's entry into the electric vehicle market has also attracted much attention. But in fact, in recent years, there are not a few cross-border car manufacturers, such as Apple, Baidu, Xiaomi, etc., and electric vehicles are almost a common choice of these companies.

As can be seen from the 2021 statistics just past, electric vehicles are gradually squeezing out the market share of gasoline vehicles. According to the data, Tesla delivered 308,600 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2021 (the market estimate is 263,422 million vehicles), and delivered a total of 936,000 vehicles in 2021; Xiaopeng Automobile delivered a total of 98,155 vehicles in 2021, 3.6 times that of 2020; NIO delivered a total of 91,429 vehicles in 2021, an increase of 109.1% year-on-year; ideal cars delivered 90,491 vehicles in 2021, an increase of 177.4% year-on-year.

The advantages and disadvantages are obvious

"Sony makes cars, more or hopes to use the advantages of enterprises in consumer electronics, sensor semiconductors, etc., in the field of electric vehicles to get more directions, more three-dimensional display and landing." Industry observer Xu Yiqiang said that at the same time, the company also sees changes in the way people live and entertain in the future, mobile travel will carry many families more entertainment time, and as a creative entertainment company, Sony needs to personally build a car to enhance the cross-industry integration of this creative entertainment.

Ten years ago, the public's understanding of Sony was still a "technology bigwig", whether it was a TV, computer, camera or mobile phone, Sony was a well-deserved technology flow enterprise. However, because of the obsession with technology and the neglect of market changes, the loss of the ability to grasp the psychology of consumers, Sony's development obstacles on the road of consumer electronics are also increasing.

Sony's consolidated net loss in fiscal 2011 (April 2011 to March 2012) was a whopping 455 billion yen (about 27.2 billion yuan), a huge deficit due to poor home appliance performance.

From 2011 to 2012, Kazuo Hirai successively served as president of Sony SCE and president and CEO of Sony Group, integrating Sony Group into "One Sony" through the implementation of rapid decision-making, enabling the company to shift from the core area of hardware to the three directions of imaging, gaming and mobile, focusing on the development of playStation games as the core of the entertainment business, and achieved obvious results.

In fiscal year 2018, which ended in March 2019, Sony's revenue reached 8.67 trillion yen ($78.14 billion), up 1.4% year-on-year; and net profit was 916.3 billion yen (about $8.26 billion), an increase of 86.7% year-on-year.

Under the leadership of Kazuo Hirai, Sony gradually changed from a "technology big man" to a "film and television entertainment big man". In 2019, Hirai officially retired, and his successor, Kenichiro Yoshida, continued to strengthen Sony's entertainment attributes.

However, recently, an executive of a Japanese game publisher released a message anonymously, saying that Sony is not only gradually losing its monopoly position in the game industry, but also gradually transitioning to the PC side. A new transformation is imminent.

In Xu Yiqiang's view, Sony cars have their inherent advantages. He believes that electric vehicles are essentially not traditional cars, but a smart travel robot with chips. From this point of view, Sony's chip semiconductor technology advantages represented by sensors can play a synergistic role, and its audio and video technology accumulated for many years in the field of consumer electronics will also add color to its automotive business.

"Of course, Sony's disadvantage in electric vehicles is also obvious, how to cut from consumer electronics products are mostly individual-based consumer groups, to cars with the whole family as a unit, but also need to cross the traditional business thinking and logic." Of course, while improving the entertainment of electric vehicles, it is also necessary to ensure their safety. Xu Yiqiang said.

As for when Sony's electric vehicles will be mass-produced and listed, the Beijing Business Daily reporter interviewed Sony, but as of press time, the other party has not replied.

Beijing Business Daily reporter Shi Feiyue