From sewing machines to guns, televisions to airplanes, these companies made other products before getting involved in the automotive industry. While some have become household names, others have disappeared. Did you know that companies such as Sony, Siemens, and even Kalashnikov, famous for its AK47, produced cars?
At this year's CES, Sony took the bold and surprising move of unveiling a highly convincing Tesla competitor. The electric prototype, called the Vision-S, looks ready to go, although Sony claims to have no plans to make it happen.
However the Vision-S is a very convincing piece of tech with which Sony can demonstrate its prowess in in-car technology. It includes 33 safety sensors that recognize people and objects inside and outside the car, an advanced in-car entertainment system with immersive audio, speakers built into each seat for a personalized listening experience and a wide panoramic screen.
Apple iCar
The tech giant known as Apple?iCar set out bold plans back in 2016 to revolutionize personal mobility and wanted to make cars that could do the same things as phones. Apple never showed off a real car, and the project was shrouded in mystery. Then, in 2019, Apple & Co. eliminated its "?Project?Titan?" team and said it would shift its focus to self-driving systems rather than cars themselves.
Since 2017, it has been testing self-driving technology on the streets of Cupertino, near its headquarters.
Famous for its telegraph invention in the 1840s, Siemens is known today for its consumer products, trains, medical devices and IT technology.In 1905, Siemens ventured into uncharted territory by building electric cars. The ?ELEKTRISCHE?Victoria pictured above has a top speed of 30km/h and a range of around 60km. It was available in three body styles: a four-seat convertible, a pickup truck and a van. Only about 50 units were sold.
In 2010, Siemens built a working replica based on early sketches, but later that year the replica was involved in an accident in Germany that killed the project leader.?
Waymo, the automotive arm of Google, has been designing driverless systems since 2009. Its best-known product to date is the Firefly, which has a cute bug-shaped automated cockpit but no steering wheel & pedals.
They often look out over the roads around Google?Mountain?View's home, but this car was built in 2017.Waymo will continue to develop self-driving technology, but will use other companies' cars as hosts.
Back in the 1970s, Michelin built a prototype for tire testing. Based on the Citroen DS and powered by two Chevrolet big-block engines, its most notable feature was its 10-wheel design.Nicknamed the "?ipe?", the PLR was the size of a truck and weighed 9,500 kilograms. It is fitted with lorry tires in the middle and has a top speed of 161km/h.
Everything is fine until you get into space, but once you get there you will face challenges. Since man first set foot on the moon, NASA has been designing and building various types of vehicles to make the exploration of aliens easier.
This is one of its Mars?Rovers, which debuted in 2017 and looks more like Batman's car than a mobile laboratory. NASA intends to send a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s.
Samsung is another tech giant dabbling in the automotive industry. At CES 2020 and showed off the Digital?Cockpit and used a prototype car to demonstrate it. Inside the cabin of the four-seat convertible, which was built with subsidiary Harman***, Samsung showcased its vision for the future of in-car entertainment and safety.
Samsung's Digital?Cockpit uses 5G to link the car's interior and exterior features to provide a more connected experience for drivers and passengers. The interior has eight displays, eight cameras and the car can enjoy information with other cars*** by displaying messages on its rear exterior display.
Russia's Kalashnikov is best known for its ubiquitous AK-47 assault rifle, but in recent years the company has moved away from the world of weapons. In 2018, it showed off the CV-1, a Soviet-era style retro-styled hatchback based on the IZH-21252 combination.
Kalashnikov claims the CV-1 will be as important to the electric car market as Tesla's 90kWh battery and 680bhp. You have to admire its confidence, even if it's not a specialist car design. But little is known about the project from 2018 onwards (how relentlessly Harrah's less).
This isn't Kalashnikov's only foray into the automotive world. The company has been building vehicles for the Russian military. At the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the country made these electric tricycles, called Ovum, for the police. it also produced 30 electric motocross bikes.
At the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, motorcycle and piano maker Yamaha unveiled a new sports car called the Sport?Ride?Concept.Yamaha brought McLaren F1 legend Gordon?Murray on board to develop a carbon-fiber chassis that would reduce the car's weight. The "Sport Ride Concept" is designed to compete with cars like the Lotus?Elise.
While Yamaha didn't confirm powertrain details at the time, rumors suggested it used a 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine.
Peel?Engineering?Company, named after a town on the Isle of Man, originally made fiberglass boats and motorcycle fairings. In the early 1960s, it began building a miniature car for urban use.
The Peel P50 was priced at ￡199 in 1962.The P50 was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010 as the world's smallest car, with room for one person and a shopping bag.In 2011, the company began production of the P50 again, to order in petrol and electric versions. Both have a top speed of around 45km/h (apparently there are now "P50s" all over the country).
"Quite a few poses, just the right amount of articles." Let us know what you want to know and we'll see you next time.
This article comes from the authors of the automobile home car family number, does not represent the views of the automobile home position.