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First shown at Geneva in March, Volkswagen has once again wheeled out its Sedric (Self-DRIving Car) concept for Frankfurt. As we reported back in March, it's the Volkswagen Group's vision for a Level Five autonomous vehicle, and Johann Jungwirth of the Group has stated that self-driving vehicles could be seen in cities as early as 2021, though some would reckon that's highly optimistic.
The Sedric appears at Frankfurt with a new look that's more than a little reminiscent of a certain sentient Beetle, with vertical stripes (we'll stop short of calling them racing stripes...) and a numeral on the side. It's intended to highlight the potential for individual customisation by Sedric owners, something that the Volkswagen Group are keen to stress, despite the fact that the vehicle is predominantly designed to facilitate shared mobility.
Jungwirth also enthused about the benefits that the vehicle could bring: "Sedric will make a huge social contribution because it offers individual mobility to visually-impaired people, members of the older generation, physically-challenged individuals and children. Furthermore, the fully autonomous mobility concept gives back around 38,000 hours to each person - for reading, learning, enjoyment, relaxation, playing and working."
The concept is aiding the Group's development of autonomous technology for application in mainstream vehicles, with the development of radar and ultrasound sensors, as well as the hardware and software for harnessing inputs and deciding outputs in the place of a human driver benefiting greatly from the Sedric's ideas. Head of R&D for the Group, Ulrich Eichorn, commented: "The plethora of experience and the technological expertise that we have gained through the advanced development of Sedric will benefit all brands, and therefore also our customers".