'Business class'-style cabin concept for autonomous vehicle is revealed by Rinspeed
Rinspeed will show a new autonomous driving concept car at the Geneva motor show in March.
Rather than working on its own autonomous driving technology, Rinspeed has instead concentrated on designing a new cabin concept, which company boss Frank M Rinderknecht says "will no longer require me to stare at the road, but will let me spend my time in a more meaningful way".
The Rinspeed concept car, dubbed XchangE, features seats designed like those you would see in business-class aircraft cabins. The seats are able to be rotated and moved in a variety of ways. The company says its layout "makes it possible to work or relax in particular comfort while riding in the driverless car".
The concept uses steer-by-wire technology, allowing the steering wheel to be retracted into the middle of the dashboard when not in use.
Rinspeed says it has also fitted a new array of infotainment and safety functions to the concept, meaning "you can read, listen to music, play games, watch movies or hold a meeting at 120km/hr".