Volvo Cars Unveils Concept 26, Delivering the Luxury of Time

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GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Nov. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN / --

Volvo Cars' ongoing research into autonomous driving has confirmed what we all

know - that the daily commute is taking the joy out of driving. It is during

the commute and on long-haul motorway trips that people are most willing to

delegate the act of driving to their car.

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With this in mind Volvo has developed Concept 26, named to reflect the average

daily commute to work of 26 minutes - time that could be spent doing something

more meaningful than sitting in stop-go traffic. Volvo has set out to bring

choice and freedom back to the driver; to enjoy the driving experience when

they want to, or to delegate driving to the car when they want to do something

else.

Drive, Create, Relax

"It's all about people. Our research clearly shows that some people will want

to use their commuting time creatively when they have full autonomous drive

available, while others will want to just sit back and relax, watch online

media or listen to music. Autonomous drive will make all of this possible. This

is what Concept 26 has captured by reimagining the entire car experience," said

Robin Page, Vice President of Interior Design at Volvo Cars.

Concept 26 is based around an all-new patented seat design that actively

cradles the driver during the transformation phase into one of the three modes:

Drive, Create or Relax. With these three modes the concept creates a new

autonomous drive innovation platform that can adapt to new needs and

technologies over time.

When the driver wishes to delegate driving to the car the steering wheel

retracts, the seat reclines and a large display emerges from the dashboard

allowing the driver to enjoy the time spent in the car as they like.  Concept

26 embraces the need for radical change of the basic design of car interiors

and provides a space that can be used as the driver/passenger wishes.

Concept 26 opens up a new paradigm of possibilities in the car - from

entertainment to service provision and beyond, using the technology that is now

a natural part of our everyday lives. It also signals the huge potential for

new business opportunities and high-tech collaborations that autonomous drive

will bring.

"We have gone to great lengths to understand the challenges and opportunities

that autonomous cars will bring to people in coming years, and our flexible

approach to engineering and design, enabled by our new Scalable Product

Architecture, means that we can readily bring this from concept to reality,"

said Dr Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President Research and Development at Volvo

Car Group.

Confidence

Volvo Cars' ongoing Drive Me research project, which will see an extended fleet

of fully autonomous cars driving real customers on the roads of Gothenburg,

Sweden, in 2017 is further proof that Volvo is a leader in autonomous drive

technology, building firmly on its foundation of safety.

"Volvo Cars is among the first to address the subject of self-driving cars and

liability. We firmly believe that car makers should take full responsibility

for the actions of the car when it is driving in full autonomous mode. If a

manufacturer does not accept liability it clearly implies that they are not

confident about their autonomous drive technology," said Dr Peter Mertens.

Contact:

Stefan Elfstrom

Media Relations Manager

Corporate Communications

Volvo Car Corporation

Dept. 50250/PVH50

Goteborg

Sweden

Telephone +46-31-3251878

Stefan.elfstrom@volvocars.com

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Source: Volvo Car Group