Volkswagen shows concept car for autonomous ride-sharing

Volkswagen has shown a concept of a car that can be called up at the push of a button to act as a kind of taxi, as is the case with Uber. The car represents Volkswagen’s vision of what self-driving cars will look like in the future.

The car is fully electric and autonomous driving. According to the CEO of the Volkwagen Group, Matthias Müller, Sedric has the highest degree of autonomy, the so-called Level 5. This makes the car very easy to use; pedals, a steering wheel and a cockpit are missing. In fact, Sedric is a kind of self-driving cab.

The system used for driving uses artificial intelligence. The car can be operated via voice control, simply by mentioning the destination. The windscreen in the car has been replaced by an OLED screen that can show traffic information or films. This screen also makes it possible to use augmented reality to give drivers the impression that they are driving under water.

The idea is that these cars do not become the property of one person, but are in fact shared with several people who can request and call up the car with the push of a button. Sedric will then drive completely independently to their location to pick up the passenger(s). A total of four passengers can sit in the car.

The name ‘Sedric’ is derived from the English description self driving car. Volkswagen will present more such concept cars in the coming years. The German car manufacturer will invest billions of euros in electric and self-driving cars in the coming years. The company aims to have about thirty different electric models on the market by 2025.