Self-driving car concepts are a dime a dozen these days, coming from every corner of the automotive industry and manufacturer. Volkswagen has shown off a couple of its own in the past, but at the Geneva Motor Show this week the company is giving us a glimpse at yet another, and it’s a bit different than the rest. Rather than a traditional automobile that’s been given a brain and autonomous driving powers, Volkswagen’s SEDRIC is like something straight out of Minority Report.
SEDRIC, which is a semi-abbreviation of “SElf DRIving Car,” is like a mobile living room that delivers you to your destination without any need to actually direct the vehicle manually. You get in, sit down, tell the car where you want to go and SEDRIC whisks you away to your desired location. It’s fully electric and features multiple cameras and sensors mounted on the corners of the roof, and the partially enclosed wheels totally make it look like a giant toaster.
The interior looks more like a limo than a traditional passenger vehicle and has both front- and rear-facing seats. A pair of doors on either side of the car open and slide in opposite directions, and VW added little plant pods to the rear windowsill to complete the whole “zen” aesthetic.
It goes without saying, but the concept is incredibly futuristic and relies on technologies that are a long way from being perfected. As such, it would be a long time before we ever see something like SEDRIC on a city street. Volkswagen knows that too, of course, which is why it’s targeting an extremely wide potential launch window of “2025” for SEDRIC or similar vehicles.
