With the coming of autonomous cars, Volvo took the opportunity at this year’s LA Auto Show to show Concept 26, its view of our near future in driving.
What Is It?
The Volvo Concept 26 is the product of plotting the next phase in automotive travel – the autonomous car. Based on Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), the ideas it carries are applicable to Volvo’s current thinking in transportation design – Volvo says it’s the only autonomous concept that can claim that.
What Volvo Says:
Anders Tylman-Mikiewicz, General Manager of the Volvo Monitoring and Concept Center:
“Volvo Concept 26 addresses the notion that driving can still be fun and liberating on the right day and on the right road but that some parts of driving, notably the daily commute in many metro areas, is stressful, frustrating and even broken.
“By providing drivers the choice of when to drive or delegate driving, we are able to retain the love and freedom of the open road while fixing the broken commute.”
What’s New In This Concept:
The Concept 26 boils down to three different modes:
- Drive – full manual control
- Create – reading, planning, consuming media, and more, based on Volvo’s research of what drivers wish they could do when stuck in traffic
- Relax – just as it says, this is when you’d zone out. The seat would recline, and the car would “curate and suggest content” for your time of ease
When Does It Go On Sale?
Concept 26 is an simply an idea bed for now, but look for its innovations as autonomous cars become more of a reality.
