The Volkswagen Group has unveiled a futuristic concept vehicle with the aim of redefining the long-distance mobility of the future.
Set to make its public debut on September 24 at Chantilly Arts & Elegance near Paris, the Gen.Travel design study is an all-electric Innovation Experience Vehicle (IEV) capable of Level 5 autonomous driving that offers a “realistic prospect of mobility for the next decade”.
Bridging the gap between a sedan and a minivan, Gen.Travel is billed as a premium product. If you look closely, you’ll see that the Volkswagen brand badge is missing, with Volkswagen Group lettering on the front and back instead. This may suggest that the project is a joint effort of several brands in the group or may simply indicate that the automaker has not yet decided which brand would be best for the Gen.Travel. That of the group carpool brand MOIA looks like an ideal candidate.
From a design point of view, the concept’s futuristic body is divided into two parts: the transparent glass cabin and the lower part, which houses all the technical features. Highlights include the vertical windshield, massive butterfly doors for better entry and exit, and the low window edge at waist level, which maximizes the view to the outside.
But the centerpiece of the Gen.Travel concept is the modular interior, which can carry up to four people depending on configuration. volkswagen Group says the cabin makes the vehicle a flexible and sustainable mobility-as-a-service alternative to short-haul flights. While the vehicle drives autonomously (there’s no sign of a steering wheel or pedals inside), passengers can relax, work, or entertain.
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Indeed, the interior concept can be customized for each journey and booked as a Mobility-as-a-Service offer. For business trips, the interior can adopt a conference configuration with four comfortable seats in two rows and a large table in the middle. Thanks to dynamic lighting, the working environment is pleasant and avoids the danger of motion sickness.
There is also a night configuration which allows the conversion of two seats into two beds which can be folded into a completely flat position. In this case, the interior lighting system is said to influence melatonin production to help passengers fall asleep and wake up naturally. To ensure maximum passenger safety even when lying down, the vehicle is equipped with an innovative passenger restraint system.
For family travel, the front cabin seats can be configured for entertainment using augmented reality (AR). In this configuration, the interior is light, with a natural design. According to the automaker, all HMI (human-machine interface) elements are produced from sustainable materials, combined with recycled or natural materials.
We don’t learn anything about the concept’s all-electric powertrain, but Volkswagen Group notes that Gen.Travel has eABC (Electric Active Body Control) active suspension for maximum comfort. The system optimizes driving style and trajectory by calculating vertical and lateral movements such as acceleration, braking or cornering in advance. The vehicle also uses artificial intelligence (AI) and platoon (fully autonomous driving in convoys) to further increase the autonomy of long-distance journeys.
The Gen.Travel is a research vehicle whose purpose is to test the concept of autonomous driving and new customer response features. Based on the results, some of its individual characteristics may later find their way onto production cars.
