Love the idea or hate it – and apparently plenty of us do hate it – driverless cars are on the way. While it will still be some time before we reach full recline-and-relax level 6 autonomy, Tesla and others are out there gathering the mountains of real-world data generated by semi-autonomous cars that's needed to make this happen. In the meantime, designers are anticipating the day they'll be unshackled from the constraints of driver and steering wheel by creating concepts that redefine the car, inside and out. Here's a taste of what's in store.
The living room on wheels
Driverless cars will change the way we think about owning a vehicle. Taxi pods are likely to become the norm for most of us, and kids born in 2022 probably won't even learn to drive at all. But those with the inclination and the resources will definitely have some luxurious living-room-on-wheels designs to choose from over the next decade ... and if there's a steering wheel at all, it'll be fully retractable.
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![From lounge chair to bed]()
September 06, 2018Volvo introduced the 360c concept on Wednesday, opening up a new exploration of the autonomous driving future. More than just a concept, Volvo is exploring a new travel paradigm in which autonomous vehicles replace short-distance flights for a quicker, more relaxing means of jumping from A to B. -
![The canopy opens along with the side doors to create roomier ingress/egress]()
January 07, 2022Cadillac dives deep into the crystal ball with the all-new InnerSpace digital concept car it's showing at CES 2022. The ultra-low, sleek coupe has looks to kill, but it's really an interior concept with a personal theater as cozy as a living room. -
![Hyundai's Concept Seven, a rolling private lounge]()
November 19, 2021Hyundai has presented a "Concept Seven" electric SUV it says is an "innovative living space on wheels" for a post-driving future. As such, it's all about a modular interior that Hyundai says will be many things to many people. -
![Kia debuts the Concept EV9 at the 2021 LA Auto Show]()
November 18, 2021Kia has found success strengthening its SUV design language, and if the new Concept EV9 is a guide, it will continue. The new concept SUV melds powerful surfaces and flared fenders into a natural EV choice for lovers of large, back-to-roots SUVs.
People-moving pods
If the boxy buses, trains and taxis that form the backbone of modern public transport are anything to go on, communal transport pods might be fairly utilitarian affairs. But the shift away from personal ownership and the efficiency of connected cities where traffic jams are a thing of the past could also free up designers to innovate in surprising ways.
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![The Pullman Power Fitness pod for the Citroën skate incorporates rowing and exercise machines inside the glassy bubble]()
October 03, 2021Citroën has introduced an interesting mobility concept that brings together a few forward-looking transport technologies into one versatile vehicle that can be fitted with different types of pods depending on the job at hand. -
![The Smart Pod uses what Buick calls a glass latice architecture]()
November 22, 2021Highlighting the present and distant future, Buick has unveiled the Smart Pod concept. The car provides a futuristic vision of pure autonomy, in which occupants are more likely to enjoy a game on the big screen than actually take the wheel. -
![The M.Vision 2Go concept is the first vehicle to demonstrate Hyundai Mobis' e-Control Module tech]()
October 28, 2021Hyundai Mobis moves closer to revolutionizing EV maneuverability. Three years after introducing the e-Corner Module, it's testing a working all-in-one wheel prototype with integrated intelligent steering, braking, drive and suspension hardware. -
![That looks kind of dangerous, but the windshield only pops open when the Urbanaut is parked, creating something of an open-air lounge space]()
November 18, 2020At its core, Mini has always been a brand that challenges conventional automotive dimensions. The badge's new Vision Urbanaut takes the challenge into the future with a versatile, shape-shifting interior inside a set of smooth, timeless van lines.
Forget roads
Self-driving vehicles will also make it much easier to go beyond city streets. Who needs to be an experienced off-road driver, or a pilot for that matter, when a highly trained algorithm can do the job. Campervans will take you to your destination – and maybe even climb mountains – while in the bullish air taxi market, China's eHang has already completed tens of thousands of autonomous test flights.
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![A more relaxing way to travel and glamp]()
September 25, 2019Hymer's Concept Galileo looks ahead to the year 2030, when we could have self-driving, tour-guiding camper pods customized to the traveler's every whim. -
![Multi-point articulating legs allow the Hyundai Elevate concept to walk over rubble, large rocks, collapsed highway gaps and more]()
September 30, 2020Turns out Hyundai was actually pretty serious when it debuted the go-anywhere four-leg/wheel drive Elevate concept in 2019. This week, it announced that it has formed a new studio to work on "ultimate mobility vehicles" (UMVs), including the Elevate. -
![Zeva's one-person eVTOL aircraft: a tail-sitting flying saucer design with some interesting advantages]()
November 23, 2021Zeva is deadly serious about bringing this tail-sitting eVTOL flying saucer to market as a one-person air taxi, and if you can get over the idea of soaring above the city head-first, face-down and Superman-style, it's got some interesting advantages. -
![After debuting the ID. Buzz at NAIAS 2017, Volkswagen later announced its intentions to pursue production]()
March 02, 2021Volkswagen is taking a step toward an idyllic future in which leisure vehicles become even more leisurely. It plans to begin testing autonomous tech in the upcoming ID. Buzz electric van, the spiritual successor to the world's favorite camper vans.
