Sony may be harboring ambitions of building an autonomous vehicle, or at least it’s not ruling out that possibility, according to a Financial Times article.
CEO Kazoo Hirai told the publication, “If we fundamentally believe at some point in time that we can make a difference in the automotive space, it’s something that we will look at.” An autonomous car may not be on the current product roadmap for Sony, but it’s not an entirely far-fetched notion considering its history with robotics and current image sensor business, which is used in Apple AAPL -1.05% iPhones, a range of mobile devices, and consumer cameras.
But the leap from smartphones to cars could be a steep climb considering where it lies in the pack. In 2014, the manufacturer accounted for only 5% of CMOS sensors used in cars, but eventually plans to capture 50% of the vehicle camera image sensor market when autonomous cars hit the roads in earnest.
What a Sony-powered self-driving vehicle could look like is anyone’s guess. It could mean a closer partnership with an existing car maker with electronics and artificial intelligence powered by the electronics manufacturer, or it could be an entirely new brand. Sony is already testing these waters with its investment in vehicle robotics company ZMP, which plans to produce an autonomous vehicle. Last month Sony and ZMP announced that they combined technology and formed a new entity, Aerosense Inc., and recently debuted two autonomous drones slated for commercial use in early 2016.
However, the real struggle for Sony in the autonomous car market isn’t the components or technology, but winning the hearts and minds of consumers. In the article, Sony says that non-traditional vehicle makers have a lot to learn when it comes to creating an emotional connection with a vehicle. That bar could get lowered as the market for autonomous vehicles is expanded to include mobility devices for the disabled or elderly or low-speed last-mile transportation solutions, and buyers become less brand and style conscious about vehicles. If it does enter the autonomous car market, can Sony go head-to-head with GM or Tesla with self-driving cars? Maybe it doesn’t have to in order to succeed.
Source: Forbes
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