Are you ready for a no steering wheel and no pedals vehicle? German automaker Volkswagen Group unveils “Sedric,” their concept of a driverless car during the Geneva Motor Show on Monday. This is Volkswagen latest vision for the future.
Volkswagen’s Sedric is only a technical concept as of the moment. Sedric stands for "Self Driving Car" and it is also an SAE Level Five autonomous driving machine. It is capable of deciding for itself, said The Telegraph. Ulrich Eichhorn, VW's head of research, shared that there will be an operator system to call of some sort if ever Sedric will encounter something new.
What makes Sedric more interesting is its control button. It connects to a universal mobility ID. The owner or user will use a control button and it will summon Sedric to open its doors. It then waits for further instructions. The button will serve as a link between the user and Sedric. It will be the key to a completely new and amazing mobility experience.
Volkswagen's press release (via CNBC) stated, “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."
In order to make Sedric work, it will be equipped with a formidable array of radar, cameras and Lidar sensor. According to Mirror, Volkswagen pitches Sedric as more of a “comfortable lounge on wheels.” It will feature leather upholstery, air purifier, equip with a voice assistant, just like Siri and a big OLED touch screen.
The German automaker did not give any timeline on when will Sedric become an actual vehicle. However, Sedric is the “father” of all projects that they are working on. The company aims that in the future, those fully automated vehicles will enhance the mobility experience of the people.
Eichhorn shared that the company went through an extensive research with regards to autonomous driving technology. They have been looking into it for over 20 years already. “But it's only recently that the idea has become feasible as sensors and computation technology makes it possible,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jobs & Hire reported that the largest automaker in the United States, the General Motors, Co. is set to lay off as many as 1,100 workers in their Lansing plant in Michigan. This is because they will shift its production in their Tennessee factory.
