Front and rear lights would let other motorists know when the car is driving itself.
The styling of Nissan's latest concept car, the Vmotion 2.0, is designed to draw attention to its self-driving features.
Unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show on Monday, the car's front grille has a backlit Nissan emblem that glows when the ProPilot self-driving system is active. The rear diffuser also glows when the car operates in autonomous mode. We're pretty sure that the lights are designed to show off how cool the car is, but they could also be useful as a warning for other motorists skeptical of self-driving technology to give you a wide berth.
Announced last spring, ProPilot is not a completely autonomous technology. While it can assist drivers in heavy traffic, it still requires them to keep their hands on the wheel at all times. Nissan demoed ProPilot in May using a Leaf electric vehicle, and announced in July[1] that the Serena minivan would be the first production model to incorporate it.
The Vmotion 2.0 concept is part of Nissan's "Intelligent Mobility" initiative, the automaker's roadmap to achieve zero emissions and zero fatalities. As is typical of concept car introductions, Nissan offered no specifics on the car's drivetrain, however.
Other features on the Vmotion 2.0 include Bose UltraNearfield speakers, which can generate a 360-degree sound field around the driver, making it easier for him or her to hear alerts from the ProPilot system.
There's a single giant horizontal display that integrates the ProPilot interface. The center console includes a touchpad to operate the main infotainment interface, and there's a smaller screen at the back for rear-seat passengers.
References
- ^ announced in July (www.pcmag.com)
