√Volkswagen autonomous tech to rival long-distance travel by air or rail

Short-haul plane flights could be under threat from driver-less autonomous vehicles, fully equipped with beds and offices, if Volkswagen is on the right path.

Holiday travel or a long-distance drive for a business trip could be handled by an autonomous car at some time in the not-too-distant future, according to German car giant Volkswagen.

It is expanding the focus of its autonomous driving program, previously centred on short-haul city work and Uber-style taxi trips, to include longer-distance travel.

The result is a concept vehicle called Gen.Travel, a four-seater autonomous electric vehicle that could be rolled out across the whole Volkswagen family with different brand badges.

Volkswagen said it gives “a realistic outlook for the mobility of the coming decade” and could provide a “sustainable Mobility-as-a-Service alternative to short-haul flights” in an official statement announcing the Gen.Travel.

“Door-to-door travel at a new level. Emission-free and stress-free,” said Dr Nikolai Ardey, head of Volkswagen Group Innovation, in the official statement.

“We are further advancing this idea, showing how our customers will be able to experience mobility in the future – for example, as a service. With Gen.Travel, we can already experience today what will be possible in the near future with innovative technology.”

The concept car, just unveiled in France, is a pod-style vehicle without any provision for a driver.

The passenger space has seats for four people, including a face-to-face provision for a mobile office, and it can also be configured for sleeping with two fully-reclining beds.

It has huge top-hinged doors for easy access to the cabin and the lack of traditional B-pillars to hinge the doors allows huge glass windows on both sides.

Volkswagen Group’s design boss, Klaus Zyciora, said the concept provides “a glimpse of the travel of the future”.

“It shows us what autonomous driving will look like in the future,” he said.

There is no plan for the Gen.Travel to serve as a taxi – instead it would be booked and configured for individual trips – and Volkswagen is yet to give any details of its range, battery pack or drive system, beyond the promise of electric Active Body Control for maximum comfort.

“As a research vehicle, the purpose of the Gen.Travel is to test the concept and new functionalities for customer response,” said Volkswagen.

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