Dynamite drives at CES 2020: Sony unveils electric Vision-S amid crowd of automotive offerings


Simon Wilgress-Pipe
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Tech fanatics at Las Vegas’s CES lollapalooza regularly see sights that surprise them, but there were eyebrows raised rather higher than usual at the 2020 event when electronics giant Sony unveiled an electric car.

The vehicle, dubbed the Vision-S, is a prototype packed (naturally) with the company’s latest electronic paraphernalia and a range of the most sophisticated safety features.

The PlayStation manufacturer was keeping quiet about whether the car, or any variant thereof, would ever be available to buy, but chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida merely talked about it being part of the brand’s “efforts to contribute to the future of mobility”.

We’ll just have to wait and see what that cryptic statement means.

Sony’s offering was in good company, joining a host of manufacturers showing off their automotive wares.

Nissan turned up mob-handed, with its Leaf e+, Ariya Concept and Formula E race car all on display. Fans of sweet treats will be happy to know all these sat alongside the manufacturer’s zero-emission ice cream van.

Audi presented the angular AI:ME show car, while Mercedes-Benz unveiled the Vision AVTR, which was apparently somehow inspired by the 2009 film Avatar.

Fiat showed off its Centoventi, a curiously Land Rover Defender-esque vehicle, Hyundai the spherical Mobis M Vision S, and BMW the i3, a vehicle purposely built with what the manufacturer calls an “abstract exterior” in order to make visitors concentrate on the interior, which the marketing people are calling the Urban Suite.

Less well-known manufacturers got a foot in the door as well, though, with the decidedly sporty-looking Fisker Ocean and Byton M-Byte both garnering attention.

Also in situ was the FF91, a luxury vehicle produced by Faraday Future (just in case you were wondering what the ‘FF’ stood for).

Tech company Yandex, a Russian outfit, couldn’t wait for the show itself, and had its autonomous taxis on display before the gates had even opened. That shows enthusiasm if nothing else.

Passenger vehicles were also represented, one example being the Metrosnap, which is the latest creation from the innovative Swiss brand Rinspeed.

The wares on display weren’t all ground-based, though – Hyundai also revealed the S-A1 Urban Air Mobility Concept. A big hand from delivery drivers for that one as they’ll never have to worry about aggressive dogs ever again.

Results:

Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.

Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners

Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta​​​​​​​
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)

The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands

50-man Royal Rumble

Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match

Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe

SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos

Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho

John Cena v Triple H

Matches to be announced

WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship, United States Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship are all due to be defended

Water waste

In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.

Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.

A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.

The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.

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The bio

Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district

Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school

Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family

His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people

Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned

Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates

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PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)

Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)

Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)

Wednesday

Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)

Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)

Norwich City v Everton (9pm)

Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)

Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)

Thursday

Burnley v Watford (9pm)

Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)

Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)

The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six

Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm

Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km

Price: From Dh796,600

On sale: now

It Was Just an Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi

Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr

Rating: 4/5

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000