Volvo announced that its own autonomous car will hit the streets of Sweden in 2017. (Photo : Reuters)
Swedish car manufacturer Volvo recently announced that its own autonomous car, currently dubbed Concept 26, will hit the streets of Sweden in 2017. Volvo unveiled the design of the car at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The company added that it is planning to release 100 autonomous car units in 2017.
The project's name, Concept 26, is attributed to the number of minutes that it takes for an average commuter to reach their place of work.
Volvo interior design chief Robin Page told Dezeen, "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."
The Volvo Concept 26 has three modes; Create, Drive and Relax.
The Drive mode puts the car in the traditional manual mode. The Create and Relax mode, when activated, retracts the steering wheel and reclines the car's seat giving the driver a more relaxed position. The mode also releases a 25-inch flat screen monitor into the dashboard.
There is a control monitor situated in the center console which gives driver the access to the car's navigation, driving and multimedia functions.
Volvo has already launched some basic autonomous features on some of its cars. The Volvo XC90 model has an autonomous feature that allows it to independently steer and follow a car in front with speeds of up to 35mph.
The current autonomous car industry is crowded by both automotive and tech companies trying to outdo each other. According to Christian Science Monitor, Google is currently in lead. Major companies like General Motors, Apple, Tesla, Toyota and Uber have all jumped into the bandwagon and on the process of creating their own self-driving cars.
