A vehicle sound synthesis system may be configured to generate a vehicle sound signal tuned to an ambient condition in an area external to a vehicle. The system may detect the ambient condition, such as a weather condition, a time condition, a traffic condition, a location condition, or an ambient sound condition. The system may synthesize the vehicle sound signal, and set an acoustical parameter of the vehicle sound signal based on the ambient condition. The acoustical parameter may include a frequency, an amplitude, a phase, modulation, or a time delay. The vehicle sound signal may be indicative of operation of the vehicle. The system may drive a sound generation device to produce sound waves corresponding to the synthesized vehicle sound signal and audible in a variety of ambient conditions to alert pedestrians and/or occupants of other vehicles to the presence of the vehicle generating the sound.