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Rinspeed XchangE Concept Shows How Self Driving Car Interior Should Be
Rinspeed, the automotive think tank based in Switzerland is known for its innovative and out of the box ideas. While its true most of these ideas haven't reached production we have to admit they are thoughtful and inspiring.
Related: Rinspeed MicroMAX Concept
For the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, which will be held in March, Rinspeed has come up with a brand new concept. Called the Rinspeed Xchange Concept, it takes up the task of showcasing how an ideal self driving car interior should look like.
Related: Volvo To Begin Large Scale Self Driving Car Testing
Recently, the automotive world has been showing tremendous interest in autonomous drive vehicles. Big names like Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Volvo and even tech giant Google have taken up to developing technology for self driving cars. This has led many to believe self driving cars will become a reality in the not too distant future.
More About Self Driving Cars
However, every self driving car we have come across until now look and behave like any regular car, except for the part where the steering wheel turns without driver intervention. This is where the Rinspeed Xchange Concept comes in, which puts the occupants at the center of things.
Rinspeed head Frank M. Rinderknecht commented on the same: "So far hardly anyone has taken this to its logical conclusion from the perspective of the driver. After all, traveling in a driverless car will no longer require me to stare at the road, but will let me spend my time in a more meaningful way".
Hence, the Rinspeed Xchange Concept takes the interior of a conventional car and turns it into a luxury lounge of sorts. While details are limited to the two renderings provided, these are the points we can infer from them.
- The Rinspeed Xchange Concept is an electric touring sedan with convenience features that's more akin to business class air travel.
- The front seats are more like recliners, complete with leg support.
- The front seats swivel, letting the occupants face the road, each other or the rear seat occupants.
- To make room for the front seats to turn around, the steering wheel operates using drive-by-wire technology and can be shifted to the center of the dashboard when the car is in autonomous mode.
Rinspeed believes, once autonomous drive takes over and car interiors become more like it's Xchange Concept, people will prefer driving over rail or air travel. As Rinderknecht puts it: "I am given free time that I can use for myself anyway I please, while the sensor systems and the computer chauffeur me safely and reliably to my destination".
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