Volkswagen’s futuristic plans for the self-driving market are out in the open, the company’s new concept depicting a bold idea of what the roads of the future could look like.
The German carmaker issued a press release outlining its plans for the market in the shape of Sedric, an acronym invented by VW that is short for “self-driving car”.
It also doubles up as the name of a vehicle that looks like a disfigured box on wheels and VW hopes it will lead a whole new breed of ride-sharing.
Related: Everything you need to know about driverless cars
Passengers that want to take a ride in their new buddy Sedric use a remote called “The Button”. One touch of the button and the box is on its way, a coloured ring and vibrating alert indicating how much longer you will be waiting for the vehicle to arrive.
Once inside Sedric, VW envisions an experience that is like a lounge on wheels and every vehicle will possess an OLED screen in place of a windscreen. From the concept video, the interior looks more like a posh black cab so we’ll have to take VW’s word for the lounge part of the conversation.
“Sedric will drive the children to school and then take their parents to the office, look independently for a parking space, collects shopping that has been ordered, picks up a visitor from the station and a son from sports training – all at the touch of a button, with voice control or with a smartphone app – fully automatically, reliably and safely,” read the release.
VW goes on to explain that whilst ride sharing in an UberPool kinda way is at the centre of its plans, those that like a bit more independence, the black cab option, can use it as a private hire vehicle.
Sedric has a long way to go before it sees the light of day, but VW is sure to be there once we all start deciding to take rides in lounges on wheels.
Watch: Death by Driverless Car – Who’s at fault?
Would you take a ride in Sedric with a bunch of strangers? Let us know in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
