Swiss design company Rinspeed has released the first sketches of its project for the 2015 Geneva Auto Show, the Budii concept car.
Just like this year’s autonomous study based on the Tesla Model S, the car for the 2015 Geneva Auto Show is autonomous and appears to be based on a production EV as well, the BMW i3. Rinspeed boss Frank M. Rinderknecht says the Budii study is a reflection of our need to redefine the relationship with the automobile.
“Until now, what we have primarily associated with auto mobility was freedom and individuality. And – consciously or unconsciously – we are prepared to pay a high price in many regards for these privileges. We need only look at the accident statistics,” Rinderknecht says.
He believes autonomous driving offers the opportunity to drastically diminish the number of traffic accidents worldwide. Still, that won’t happen overnight, as self-driving vehicles will have to learn every day and “as a result will get better and better at mastering the complex challenges of modern-day private transport,” the executive says.
Rinspeed’s vision of such a vehicle is the trans-urban Budii concept car, described as the driver’s “best buddy” thanks to its autopilot function that quickly adapts to the habits and preferences of its “boss.” In order to do that, the study will feature a series of innovations and will take data from its environment and the “experiences” of other vehicles along its route into account.
One interesting feature is that both the driver and the passenger will be able to steer the car if they feel like it, as the steering wheel can be moved in front of each front passenger. If nobody feels like steering, the steering wheel is simply parked in center position.
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