Mercedes Lays The Ground Work For Driving To Be Optional - Would You Really Want To Be A Rider Rather Than Driver?

Mercedes-Benz late Monday unveiled a concept car that illustrates its vision of luxury circa 2030, when self-driving vehicles would be sophisticated enough for drivers to be able to hand over control to a network of computer chips and sensors, and use their onboard time for work, play or rest.

The four seats in Mercedes’ concept car, including the “driver” seat, rotate inward, allowing travelers to have a face-to-face conversation in a loungelike setting. The design reflects what Mercedes believes customers will want from luxury cars within a few decades: a private, comfortable retreat in the crowded megacities of the future.

 

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TheSteve - 1/6/2015 2:34:11 PM

-1 Boost

No.

That's what taxis, busses, trains, trolleys, and other forms of mass transit are for.

nikejk - 1/6/2015 2:37:15 PM

+3 Boost

Trust me there are plenty of people out there willing to pay to avoid them and their kids from riding the subway

nikejk - 1/6/2015 2:36:22 PM

+3 Boost

Obviously nobody would have this as their full time car, but it will be useful for certain occasions. Business people being chauffeured, getting your kids to and from places rather than paying nannies or babysitters. More for rich city people that can afford an extra.

adidas11 - 1/6/2015 2:42:59 PM

+2 Boost

This is like saying "Ford has come out with a new cargo van - but would you really want to drive it over your X5?" No. But there are people that would. Fully autonomous cars will be a different sub category compared to cars that will have the option to be autonomous. Nobody will be comparing the two when buying a new car

nguyenvuminh - 1/6/2015 5:03:53 PM

+2 Boost

@nikejk and adidas11 - good point on this is a separate category for particular needs/segments. The so-called "auto enthusiast" still can't get over automatic transmission and anything other than V8 so this will be another bitter pill couple of years down the road.

MDarringer - 1/6/2015 7:26:46 PM

0 Boost

Pure German engineering masturbatory idiocy...

jeffgall - 1/6/2015 8:54:46 PM

+1 Boost

Lexus owners already have riders

leej - 1/7/2015 8:16:10 AM

+1 Boost

At some point, 'driving' as we know it today will be heavily regulated, if not against the law, once autonomous operation is in full implementation. You will have to go to the track to drive. Face it, 20 years from now, you will see the same degree of change that people experienced when we went from the horse and buggy to the automobile. 'Driving' will be a thing of the past and the generations of the autonomous time will find it hard to imagine that people actually hurled themselves down highways in vehicles totally under their control.