The Volkswagen Group will exhibit at Chantilly Arts & Elegance, on September 25, 2022, the electric and autonomous concept car Volkswagen GEN TRAVEL. This vehicle was designed as a mobility service that could replace the plane for certain journeys.
The Volkswagen group, without going through one of its brands, presents a new fully autonomous concept car in line with the Sedric of 2017. The name of the newcomer may be less easy to remember since the car is called Gen Travel. It presents a vision of the future of mobility according to the group, bringing together functionalities that could be declined through the various manufacturers of the Volkswagen galaxy in the years to come.
A glazed cocoon to relax or work
Gen Travel is an electric shuttle halfway between a sedan and a minivan, designed as a premium alternative to short-haul aircraft and offering the door-to-door comfort of a personal car. But the vehicle is thought of as a mobility service tool rather than an object to be owned. Its fully glazed top, inspired by the 1921 Rumpler Tropfenwagen, is meant to evoke a polished stone. It allows the passenger compartment to be bathed in light. Devoid of the steering wheel and pedals, in particular, the cabin only has a rotary selector as physical control. This allows you to adjust the audio volume, the interior temperature, and the position of the seats. Everything else is automated. Thanks to inter-vehicle communication systems as well as between vehicles and infrastructures, synchronized autonomous convoys of Gen.Travel can be formed.
Three interior configurations are possible: four seats around a table, four seats in a classic layout, or two seats that can unfold to become beds. In the second case, the front row can take advantage of features displayed in augmented reality. The interior lighting is designed both to avoid motion sickness for the occupants and to help them fall asleep and wake up in the “night” configuration. The materials used for the passenger compartment are mostly of natural or recycled origin.
Read more: Megane E-Tech vs VW ID.4 electric cars: which is the best to buy?
Volkswagen GEN TRAVEL exhibited in Chantilly on September 25
The lower part of the Gen Travel concept houses the technical elements. The black wheel arches contrast with the dominant mauve “hippo” hue. Thanks to its 100% electric architecture, the vehicle benefits from a generous wheelbase and short overhangs. The front features a C-shaped light signature, and the rear lighting is split between a horizontal line running across the width of the stern and vertical elements at the corners of the shield. The car is fitted with large “butterfly” doors providing easy access to the passenger compartment, giving it the look of a “flying hippo”
This atypical look will be on display on September 25, 2022, at Chantilly Arts & Elegance, in Oise, an event during which the Renault R5 Turbo 3E concept will also be exhibited. But unlike the latter, the latest creation of the Volkswagen group will not be at the Paris Motor Show 2022 next October because the German giant will be absent. The Volkswagen group promises to pay the greatest attention to the reactions of the public concerning Gen Travel to decide on the follow-up to be given to the technologies that it embeds for possible production models.