Porsche Unveils Interior Concept for Self-Driving Car
Lisa Steuer McArdle
· 3 min read
Porsche
recently revealed its previously hidden concept for the futuristic-looking interior of its self-driving car
, according to Motor Authority
. With the Porsche Renndienst study, the automaker decided to design a very forward-thinking
minivan
. It’s just one of several concept cars the company has been keeping a secret until now. The minivan has a pretty interesting design that almost looks like something from a movie set in the future.
Porche’s self-driving car and other designs
In the book "Porsche Unseen," the automaker previously published the 15 never-before-seen design studies, with the Renndienst being among them. Porsche describes the design as "futuristic and edgeless" on the outside and as a "modular travel cabin" on the inside.
The Renndienst was probably the most atypical design of the "Porche Unseen" collection. When the carmaker first showcased the new design studies in November 2020, the automaker said the electric minivan was nothing but a hard model it designed as an interpretation of a family-friendly space concept, according to
InsideEVs
. The photos released back then did not show the interior like the ones just recently released.
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Inside the self-driving car
The concept minivan has front and rear sliding doors, and can seat up to six people. The driver has a sole, central seat that can rotate 180 degrees. The driver can even spin to face the passengers when the vehicle is in autonomous mode.
At least one familiar part of the very futuristic car is the driver’s traditional-looking instrument cluster, which has four round dials. However, it’s different from what we’ve seen before because it’s flanked by two large screens.
The second row has two bucket seats, while the third row is a bench that seats three. The headrests on the third-row seat are in a floating position to allow a clear view through the back window.
A glass roof spans all three rows, but there are tapered side windows that only allow the driver to get a view of both sides.
What Porsche says about its self-driving car
According
to Porsche, designers of the Renndienst study were inspired to "journey far into the future of mobility," which is how the vision of the family-friendly minivan came to be.In designing the concept, Porsche revealed it wanted to give a distinctly Porsche flair to a passenger compartment that is far removed from the classic sports car interior.
The single driver seat gives a more "cockpit" feeling if someone does want to drive, yet with one swivel, the driver can turn and face the other passengers when they don’t want to drive.
Porsche says the interior gives a feeling "security and comfort" and feels like a "protective capsule" with the side windows that are designed asymmetrically
Will the car ever be produced commercially?
It’s a pretty cool concept that some people are probably excited to start driving. But unfortunately for those who are eager to drive this new minivan, it won’t be going into production anytime soon.
As Motor Authority points out, the self-driving car industry and technology behind it has a long way to go before full commercialization. In addition, Porsche has been known to design concepts not intended for production.
