#SONY Surprises With #Tesla-Like Electric Car #Concept At #CES2020 [Auto Styling News]

Sony says it wants us to re-imagine mobility as we know it. To that end, its electric, self-driving vehicle prototype, the VISION-S, was unveiled this week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, and ... it looks a whole lot like a Tesla.

Considering its company name, Sony will no doubt be up to the challenges of creating a technologically stunning vehicle, albeit its first one. It will (says the company) feature 33 sensors around the car, offering 360-degree vision of the road. It can park itself, with a "summon" feature similar to Tesla's, and of course has self-driving capabilities. Like the Tesla, it will feature ongoing software updates.

Now to the looks: From a side profile, one might be forgiven if you mistake it for a Tesla S. It has the same general shape, including the squared-off rear end. But there are some interesting differences. The Tesla's front looks as though it forgot the grille, placing a flattened panel in its place. The VISION-S, however, looks somewhat nicer, with an almost Porsche-like rounded front end. It headlamps are attractive, and a bar with a stylized feature that looks like two hands coming together, meeting in the middle.

The rear-panel window, as with all of the side windows, are squared off and form a straight line from front to back. That gives it a rather conventional style, and a bit out of step with current design of most other vehicles (including the Tesla S) which have door panels that swoop gently upward as they work their way to the back of the vehicle.

The rear, aside from being squared off like a Tesla, also has lights that resemble the Musk vehicle. And many following this car will undoubtedly believe they are following a Tesla.

Of course, this is a "prototype" (not a CONCEPT, says Sony) so things *might* change between now and actual production, a date for which was not announced in Las Vegas.

Overall, this is not an ugly vehicle, and will give Tesla a run for its money, especially if it can offer greater tech inside the cabin than Musk's car, at roughly the same price. And Sony brings with it a credibility and name recognition for high quality technology, so Elon must be slightly nervous,

#Honda's Self-Driving NeuV #Concept Reads Emotions, Drives Strangers To Work [Auto Styling News]

Honda has unveiled the self-driving electric NeuV concept at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that's part AI, part robotics, and part Uber.

The NeuV concept (pronounced "new-v" and stands for New Electric Urban Vehicle) was designed around the fact that privately-owned vehicles sit idle 96 percent of the time, while the owner sleeps, works or is otherwise away from the car. The NeuV seeks to create new value for its owner by functioning as an automated ride-sharing vehicle, picking up and dropping off customers at local destinations when the owner isn't using the car.

Yes, you read that correctly. Your car will drive around and pick up strangers while you're at work. Amazing. And kinda scary. But if this self-aware UberBot can make money on the side (and shares it with us!) then who are we not to embrace this change.

The NeuV also can sell energy back to the electric grid during times of high demand when it's not in use. These actions alone have the potential to create a new business model for enterprising customers who want to "monetize" their cars, says Honda.

The two-seater also functions as helpful Artificial Intelligence assistant, using an "emotion engine", an emerging technology developed by Honda and SoftBank.

Called HANA (Honda Automated Network Assistant), in its application in the NeuV, the "emotion engine" will learn from the driver by detecting the emotions behind the driver's judgments and then, based on the driver's past decisions, make new choices and recommendations. HANA can check on the driver's emotional well-being, make music recommendations based on mood, and support the owner's daily driving routine.

One pictures HANA saying, "You look really agitated by this heavy traffic, Dave. Can I take over the wheel for a bit?"

The NeuV features a full touch panel interface enabling both the driver and passenger to access a simple and convenient user experience.

So, how does the NeuV look?

In shape, one could make comparisons to any number of city car concepts, most recently the Swiss Rinspeed Oasis (debuting at the same show) and the Russian "Mirrow Provocator." Basically, both are really, really square. The boxy Scion IQ also comes to mind, from the front, anyway, as does the VW "BUDD-e" electric van concept, in style as well as in its pretensions to tech supremacy.

The two-seater has a good-sized storage area in back, and an electric skateboard for "last mile" transit, which in the concept, hangs in the back window like a shotgun in a country boy's pickup truck.

Outstanding outward visibility is achieved by a headerless windshield and a dramatically sloping belt line that is said to make maneuvering easy. (I say "said to" because this is so obviously a one-off that wont' see production in this decade that's all speculation how it drives.

The rear features tail lams that are, um, dramatic (to say the least.) They make anything Volvo has ever done seem TAME by comparison. Arching over both the sides and top of the rear "lip" these LED lights are sure to make it abundantly clear that its coming to a halt. Heck, it will be clear to the entire city it's driving in!

It's obvious to everyone that Syd Mead - the Visual Futurist for the 1982 film classic "Blade Runner," was prescient about the direction of vehicles by the end of the Twenty-Teens. Like, Nostradamus prescient!