Volvo’s head in a recent statement said that the brand is years ahead of their competitors.
While everyone is scrambling to build driver focused interiors, they have already moved to passenger focused design that is ready to embrace autonomous technology as soon as it is widely available.
The automobile industry is undergoing a change and even top players have realized it. While moving into hybrids and electric cars is just the beginning, the big revolution is all set on making autonomous driving common. The company that already pioneered electric cars, Tesla is also working on improving the self-driving technology. Thomas Ingenlath, senior vice president of design at Volvo commented that going with autonomous driving is not just changing the car’s driving method but also how it looks and the comfort level passengers could experience.
“Volvo has been ahead in this regard as our designs are always driven by passengers and not by driver or technology. Offering highest level of performance is a must in every car but we put comfort in the forefront. The interior designs in all our upcoming models are more of a passenger lounge area. Our team has been studying passenger comfort areas, conducting research and acquire enough knowledge to be ready for the future of autonomous driving,” said Ingenlath.
Sharing further information with regards to their design approach, Robin Page from Volvo said that they have studios located in three different regions including U.S., China and Sweden. The diverse locations allow them to understand their market and custom make cars that are not only ready for the future but put their passengers in forefront. Each country has a different view of what they need and how the car should be.
“Europe despite their open mindedness to adopt newer technology, electric cars and self-driving, the people still want the driver experience to be put first. China on the other hand is quite different and is all about luxury besides offering state-of-the-art comfort for its rear passengers. Americans are keen on electric adoption. While they may seem different, the primary focus is on adopting newer technologies but more customized to each region’s expectations,” said Page.
Volvo Concept 26 is what the brand bets on and it looks quite promising already. Many of the features found in the concept car may go into the production version while some may not. It will be a revolutionary experience when it reaches stores with a reliable autonomous technology.
