Hyundai 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.
Unveiled at AutoMobility on Wednesday, Concept Seven envisions a world where autonomous cars are so safe – and human drivers so few – that nobody needs seat belts any more. Instead, the car becomes a private lounge room with a big ol' chaise lounge, ambient lighting, a mini-fridge, a pair of fully swiveling front seats ,and ... shoe care compartments that can "refresh passengers' footwear."
As somebody who grew up with two highly pungent brothers, the idea of actually encouraging people to take off their shoes in the car with me is somewhat of a new one, but I trust Hyundai has other people in mind here. Plus, it's good enough to include a "hygiene airflow system," including the ability to direct a constant airflow from the roof to the floor, so that might help somewhat.
The interior, built as it is in bamboo, mineral plaster, "bio-resin," copper and "hygienically treated fabric with proven antibacterial functions" is intended to "ensure all surfaces inside Seven remain clean at all times." Wow, that sounds nice, but I'd want to test it with my kids, who generate their own "bio-resin" in alarming quantities and use it to ensure no surface remains clean.
Should you feel like getting out the ol' scarf, gloves, leather helmet and goggles and actually driving the thing, you can do so by means of a "control stick," which probably sounds a lot more exciting than it is. When you get out, the whole interior sterilizes itself with UVC light.
Hyundai is kind enough to provide a video showing how this conveyance might be used by different people. Dad, for example, will take his electric guitar and rock out in the back, presumably either ignoring the quizzical stares of other road users or giving them the horns. Daughter naturally wants to point cameras at herself, in this case to continue her budding (waka waka) career as a plant influencer. She's rewarded with a super-sized image of herself on the panoramic OLED roof display.
And what about mom? I kid you not, the first thing she's gotta do in this video is run around picking up all the kids' crap, after which "it becomes the perfect hygienic lounge," and she basically just gets to sit there. Then again, she does get to sit there in blissful silence with no kids having screaming peanut butter fights on top of her, and I do know a lot of moms that would pay good money for that.
Concept Seven has luxurious, wide-opening coach doors on one side, a nod to the fact that it'll never be manufactured. It has "Parametric Pixel" headlights, and an "active air flap system" to reduce aerodynamic drag at the wheels. Take a look at the magnificence of tomorrow's carriage in the video below.
Source: Hyundai