New French concept car has a split personality
Racing car or autonomous cabin? Why not have both in one.
DS Automobiles, the French premium brand of the PSA Group, revealed their new concept sports car at the Paris Motor Show this October. It is called the DS X E-Tense and first of all, it is asymmetric. The car is supposed to portray the sports car of 2035. Of course, this means it is not only electric but also fully autonomous.
An autonomous sports car? Let me explain.
In a world where we can slip into a cocoon to comfortably be transported to our destination with our eyes closed, there will be still the side in us, that searches for the thrill of speed and the exciting fun of steering a beast.
The X E-Tense's asymmetry reflects these two aspects.
One side of the car is a luxurious passenger cabin with a huge gullwing door; the other part serves as a convertible driver's cockpit with a scissor door. With the optical centre of the front grill shifted to the side of the cockpit, the car gives the impression of being a spaceship with a sidecar.
The cocoon
Sealed from the outside world, a relaxing chair designed with passion to details gives you massage while fresh coffee is brewed beside you. A foldable small additional seat makes the cabin suitable for another person. In the 540 bhp strong road-use mode you can just put your feet up and wait to arrive or have a look at the tarmac below you through the glass floor.
The cockpit
As the driver, you get a much narrower place to sit than in the cabin. This is not for the relaxing part, but to drive a racing car. The car was developed with the DS Formula E team and comes with a flipped Formula E powertrain. All the heavy batteries are in the back while in circuit mode, up to 1360 bhp are delivered to the front wheels.
Additional features
Beside the already mentioned coffee machine, the car has something called IRIS. It is your personal holographic servant, accessible from both sides of the car. While being the human-to-machine interface, it is also a connection to the outside world and will appear in the holo-shape of your choice.
While all of this sounds like a nice illusion, the French have actually made it real. The DS X E-Tense is a working car that can be driven and also can drive you autonomous at speed (on a wide track with plenty of space).
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Comments (3)
I immediately thought it was ugly. Now I understand.
Well, despite my aversion to asymmetries, I kind of got used to its looks.
Some angles I can tolerate, with the "It's sci-fi different" argument, which covers a multitude of wrongs, but still have severe trouble with it.
The reasoning behind it helps.