In 2020, what will your life be? That's the question answered with new concept car from design firm Visteon, which recently offered a first look into what may be the car of the future.
The interior of the concept car is virtually devoid of buttons and switches, instead relying on touch screen technology, with tablet-like devices mounted on either side of the steering column. Visteon's latest technologies, ranging from concepts still in development to products already commercially available, are used in the concept call, called the e-Bee.
"There are two themes to e-Bee: simply, city and flexibility," said Guillaume Becourt, designer at Visteon, according to Wards Auto. "It is designed for an urban environment with just the right amount of content. People do not want to pay for what they do not want."
The e-Bee concept builds on Visteon's previous concept car, the C-Beyond, and is designed for the driver of the future in mind. The e-Bee's press website said the car addresses challenges faced by the driver in the year 2020 and highlights new ways for cars to be owned and driven.
The e-Bee is a car designed to be shared between people. To demonstrate the car's flexibility, the concept model, which is based on a Nissan Leaf, is able to store the driving preferences of a 60-year-old male and a 25-year-old female, storing the data in the cloud, ready to retrieve when either user enters the vehicle, according to a report from Wards Auto. The vehicle preferences will define the look, colors and layout of interior lighting in the car, as well as the car's greeting, climate conditions and message presentation, the report stated.
Perhaps the most noticeable feature of the e-Bee is its lack of a climate control panel found in the center of the cabin of virtually every car out there. By moving the climate control unit from its traditional location to underneath the car's hood, the cabin is made much roomier.
A 180-degree camera replaces the traditional rear-view mirror, eliminating the need for a glass window in the back of the vehicle. Each door has its own control module, which can be used to adjust cabin temperature. Personal speakers mounted into each headrest give all the car's occupants the option to listen to what they want.
"The concept resembles a smartphone designed for vehicles. Visteon is confident that with the e-Bee, it has paved the way for a new generation of vehicles that are controlled by electronics and portable devices," states a report from Marketwatch.
The concept car is a bold new step for Visteon, which filed for bankruptcy in 2010.
A full array of photos and videos of the e-Bee concept can be found here.
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