Sony took the automotive world by surprise by unveiling a production version of its first car, the Vision-S, at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2020. The Japanese corporation had little to say about it throughout the year, but come 2021 and the Vision-S is being tested on public roads in Austria. Is the Vision-S finally going into production? It might and based on the way it looks and the advanced technology it features, automakers should be worried.

The video itself isn't very revealing. It showcases the car's dynamics on twisty roads and it gives us another glimpse at its high-tech interior, which is packed with big displays from one corner of the dashboard to the other. We still don't know if Sony wants to put it into production, but intensive testing suggests that the Vision-S could become reality soon. How soon? Well, a production-ready model could be unveiled by the end of 2021.

When Sony first unveiled the car in early 2020, it said that its purpose is to showcase the brands latest technology.

All these collectively form a driver assistance system called Safety Cocoon. Sony said that the concept had Level 2 autonomous capabilities, but that it planned to upgrade it to Level 3 in the future.

A midsize, four-door fastback that could go against the Tesla Model S, the Vision-S features a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive layout. It's powered by a pair of 200 kW electric motors (about 536 horsepower combined) and Sony says it could hit 62 mph in 4.8 seconds, while charging toward a top speed of 149 mph. Range estimates aren't yet available, but the Vision-S should be good for at least 200 miles per charge.

Sony Vision-S Concept specifications

Powertrain

Dual-motor

Drivetrain

All-wheel-drive

Horsepower

536 HP

0 to 60 mph

4.8 seconds

Top Speed

149 mph

Range

200 miles