The coronavirus has shuttered plants and delayed the unveiling of countless models, but it will also have a longer lasting impact.
Speaking to Bloomberg, a number of designers revealed car design while likely change as a result of the pandemic.
As Daimler’s Chief Design Officer Gorden Wagener explained, “The pandemic will change our perception of how we experience safety and luxury in the future.” His sentiments were echoed by Rolls-Royce’s Felix Kilbertus who said “The future, more than ever, will be about the freedom of going places safely and these cars will be more than ever about their interior.”
Also Read: Future Jaguar Land Rover Vehicles Could Prevent You From Getting Sick
This likely means automakers will focus on providing a healthier interior environment. While a number of companies already offer advanced air filtration systems, Jaguar Land Rover has been experimenting with using ultraviolet light to stop the spread of bacteria and viruses. Last year, the company noted ultraviolet light technology could be incorporated into the climate control system to neutralize harmful pathogens. That’s certainly an interesting idea now, given how the coronavirus spreads.
Some automakers, like Mercedes, are even experimenting with improving the air outside the cabin. Wagener didn’t go into specifics, but hinted “We are working toward the idea that the car could actually take bad things out of the air, [and] almost clean the air.”
Of course, safety extends beyond air quality and in some cases that means privacy as well as more conventional security measures such as alarms and motion sensors. Speaking of the latter, Tesla’s Sentry Mode has proven popular as it uses cameras to record suspicious activity. This has caught a number of people behaving badly and the system feels like a natural extension of the doorbell cameras that populate many homes.
There are also some more outlandish ideas including a so-called invisibility cloak. Rolls-Royce is exploring the idea and Kilbertus noted it could potentially allow cars to go unnoticed by would-be attackers.
