Chevy's Self-Driving Concept Car Blurs Sci-Fi and Reality
Forget time-traveling DeLorean's and flying cartoon cars, Chevy’s FNR Concept is the futuristic, self-driving car you've been dreaming of. It looks like a glorious combination of the light bike from Tron and the xenomorph from Alien -- and that’s just the exterior. The look at this visionary vehicle comes courtesy of the Shanghai Auto Show.
The FNR is Chevy’s idea of what an autonomous electric vehicle could be, featuring a science fiction-inspired capsule design with dragonfly doors that swing up from both front and back. The FNR comes with magnetic hubless wheels, an automatic wireless charging system and a roof-mounted sensor package that can be used to map out the car's route -- all without the assistance of a lowly human.
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Inside, the FNR sports seating that looks more like intergalactic space harps than chairs, which can also rotate 180 degrees to create a more social living room-like setup. After all, when the car can do the driving on its own, you don’t really need to face the windshield.
For those who still want to steer, the FNR’s full-width dashboard/control panel makes drooling over the infotainment on a Tesla seem a little premature. Look Ma, no wheel! Instead, the FNR is controlled by gestures, not unlike the sort you use on a tablet or smartphone. The car company even tossed out the need for a key, replacing that slot with a scanner that reads your iris.
Unfortunately, as with most concepts, the FNR may never see actual production, but that’s not really the point. You can’t advance if you don’t know where you’re going, and with the FNR concept it seems Chevy may have an exciting road ahead.
Sam Rutherford is a Staff Writer at Tom’s Guide. Follow him @SamRutherford on Twitter, and Tom’s Guide on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
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