Volkswagen unveils Sedric fully autonomous concept at Geneva Auto Show
07 Mar 2017
Volkswagen's (VW) newest concept autonomous, Sedric is fully autonomous, and comes without steering wheel or pedals, and could be summoned at the push of a button for ride-hailing trips, like Uber and Lyft.
According to VW, Sedric was the first vehicle to be designed for fully autonomous driving ''from scratch.'' It was important to note though that at present, Sedric was only a concept.
Sedric was revealed at the Geneva Auto Show yesterday by VW parent Volkswagen Group.
According to commentators, Sedric had the dull, uninspiring look of a toaster, but according to VW it would serve as a ''friend and companion'' for the family. They point out that Sedric appeared to be part of a growing trend among automakers to transform the family vehicle into something like a pet.
Volkswagen said Sedric could be summoned via a fancy button, which changed colour and vibrated when the vehicle arrived, which was meant to guide people with impaired vision, one of the biggest selling points for fully autonomous cars. ''The Button is the link between the user and Sedric,'' the company says.
The Sedric is the automaker's first car to be billed as a true ''Level 5'' self-driving car, which meant it had the most advanced level of self-driving capability. With its ''Level 5'', Sedric is potentially capable of handling all driving situations on its own, even during inclement weather.
Instead of a steering wheel the vehicle responds to commands stated out loud. Passengers could tell the car route to take to reach a destination or at what time they would like to reach it. And as Sedric drove them to their destination passengers could read a book, take a nap or stay entertained via the windshield which doubled as a large LED screen with augmented reality.
