Volkswagen previews a high-tech vision for the future of individual mobility into and beyond the next decade with the unveiling of a new futuristically styled, self-driving concept ahead of the 2017 Geneva auto show.
Called the Sedric – an acronym for the words “self-driving car” – the new pod-like 4-seater has been developed as part of the German automaker’s Together Strategy 2025 program as a foundation for a planned transformation of VW from a traditional, engineering-led company to one specializing in integrated mobility services through its newly created Mobility Solutions division.
Billed as the first concept car to be developed as a cross-brand ideas platform within VW, the German automaker sees the Sedric as a solution for intuitive individual mobility in a universally usable vehicle with easily understood controls.
The Sedric also was conceived for use by multiple drivers within a vehicle-sharing platform.
It is credited to a trio of high-ranking VW officials: Michael Mauer, head of design; Johan Jungwirth, chief digital officer; and Ulrich Eichorn, head of R&D.
Conceived to dovetail with VW’s recent investment in ride-hailing service Gett and the establishment of its own in-house mobility-service provider MOIA, the Sedric brings together future mobility ideas being pursued throughout VW in a compact concept that does away with traditional proportions and a classic car-like interior. It also lacks a steering wheel and pedals.
In their place is a smoothly surfaced 1-box, pod-like creation that houses a roomy, lounge-like cabin featuring speech-controlled propulsion via an electric motor placed within the rear axle. The motor delivers around 134 hp and is driven by a lithium-ion battery pack mounted within a flat floor and providing a claimed range of around 250 miles (402 km).
At the heart of the Sedric is an autonomous-driving system that draws on Level 5 technology being developed by VW for use on driverless cars planned for launch after 2020. It uses five individual LiDAR devices mounted atop the Sedric’s roof in combination with seven cameras and various radar sensors.
Linking the new concept with its user is a so-called mobility controller that Jungwirth describes as the key fob of the future. With a press of a button, the controller hails the new Volkswagen, displaying its arrival time with colored signals as well as a vibration signal designed specifically to guide a person with impaired vision to the car.
VW describes the mobility concept as the “father of numerous concepts” already under development, suggesting it will also get “children and grandchildren” within its portfolio of brands, which include Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Porsche, Seat and Skoda.
The Sedric was developed at VW’s Future Centre Europe in Potsdam, Germany, following a greenlight to the program from the company’s chairman, Matthias Mueller, in May of last year. It draws on mobility and propulsion ideas first presented by VW at last year’s Geneva auto show.
