If Cadillac has its way, the future will have autonomous vehicles with immersive passenger experiences. That’s what Cadillac’s autonomous InnerSpace concept is, a rolling tech-filled autonomous lounge.
The Innerspace is one of three lounge-like concepts shown at CES the last few years, the other two being SocialSpace and PersonalSpace shown at CES in 2021. With these concepts, Cadillac pretty much thinks people will want to chill out in their vehicles in the future, as Bryan Nesbitt, GM executive director, Global Advanced Design and Global Architecture Studio, explains:
Electrification and autonomous driving will fundamentally change the role of vehicles and the experiences customers have with them,” said Nesbitt. “We’re exploring where that will go with these innovative concepts, envisioning mobility as an ally of wellness, giving customers the ultimate luxury, more personal time rather than taking it.
Cadillac says that the InnerSpace is a nod back to runabouts from the early 1900s. Those runabouts allowed for open-air driving and an experience. Cadillac thinks passengers will now want to focus on an experience rather than driving. The InnerSpace does that through passenger input and digital displays.
The new InnerSpace concept reimagines that vision, with a fully autonomous experience that allows two passengers to focus on their journey and not driving.
The vehicle’s fully autonomous capability means they could explore more of the world around them, as well as inside the vehicle, with more personal and tailored experiences that add new dimensions to Cadillac’s signature luxury experience. AI-driven biometric input and interfaces, accessible via a large, immersive and panoramic SMD LED display, allow passengers to select from Augmented Reality Engagement, Entertainment and Wellness Recovery themes for their drive. Thanks to Ultifi, Cadillac engineers and authorised third parties will be able to innovate additional themes and features that can be added over the air.
The interior provides the perfect space to sit and stare at what looks like a curved gaming display. Cadillac says that passengers will be treated to an experience that will allow them to select from a series of AR (augmented reality) themes such as entertainment or wellness and recovery.
There’s also a panoramic roof, which opens with the doors when the vehicle is stopped. Which, with the combination of all those feature it might be the only way you’d realise you’re at your destination.
Even the tires, which were designed by Goodyear, were designed to be immersive with Cadillac saying they were designed to “mitigate soundwaves.”
While it isn’t likely that this rolling sensory deprivation chamber will ever see production, Cadillac will be showing this and the other Halo concepts on GM’s virtual experience site through CES.