When the Volkswagen group wants to replace domestic flights, it gives away such a machine. A 100% autonomous electric vehicle designed for 4 passengers or 2 beds. Discovery.
Volkswagen, which snubbed the 2022 Paris Motor Show, will exhibit the Gen.Travel prototype at the Concours d’Elegance de Chantilly in Oise, north of Paris, on September 24-25. The latter does not in any way presage a future model of the brand. The machine is also presented under the Volkswagen Group label, so it does not carry the iconic logo on the hood, but rather a full inscription.. Rather, it is a mobility solution with full autonomous driving, that of level 5. The goal of the Volkswagen Gen. Travel is to offer a credible alternative to flying for medium-haul trips.
So instead of offering the traditional features of a car, the Gen.Travel, whose cabin seats 4 people, can also be configured with two armchairs that convert into a bed. A design worthy of business class cabins. But, is it relevant to mobilize such a size to transport 4 people in the best of cases?
Business class on wheels?
In any case, this proposal inevitably brings to mind the volkswagen sedric Unveiled in March 2017 at the Geneva Motor Show, another distinctive project of the Volkswagen group. What is the evolution between the two? An augmented reality display and a less typical wheelie bin design. Because the Sedric (which stands for Self Driving Car) was more typical for urban use, an automatic shuttle controllable by touch and voice.
For the Gen.Travel that will not arrive on our roads tomorrow, the Volkswagen Group has not announced any technical characteristics at the moment, autonomy and weight are not mentioned either. On the other hand, an active electric suspension capable of anticipating all vertical and horizontal movements of the hull is reported to isolate passengers from the chaos of the road. When is Volkswagen taken over by Citroën?