The Car of the Future – Your Mobile Feel-Good Zone

Future cars that drive themselves will become a place for all kinds of activities and experiences – much more than today. This will also raise the bar for the desired level of comfort and convenience in such mobile living rooms.  

Continental’s latest mobility study reveals that autonomous driving is gaining popularity. Across the globe, many car owners are embracing this development as a sensible solution. Nine out of 10 motorists surveyed in China (90 percent) assess the technologies involved to be useful, while almost three-quarters (72 percent) of survey respondents in Japan agree, as do nearly two-thirds (60 percent) in France. 

Four-wheeled autonomous mobility opens up entirely new perspectives for time spent traveling in cars. After all, the more automated cars are on the road, the more time drivers can spend doing other things. Preferred activities according to the study include listening to music, sleeping, reading and playing games. Young people in particular are keen to make the most of this experience. Around half of the 25 to 34-year-olds surveyed in Germany would like to see cars become a place to relax and work, in addition to being a safe means of transportation. In Japan, some three-quarters of those surveyed in the same age group envisage this very same scenario.  

Almost two-thirds of younger survey respondents in Germany combine this vision with a desire for greater sustainability in vehicle interiors. In the USA, four-fifths of this age group wish the same. With its SPACE D vehicle interior design concept, Continental is opening the door to this vision, using state-of-the-art, functional and environmentally friendly surfaces to transform the vehicle interior a mobile living room. This involves the use of durable, long-life products made from bio-based and renewable raw materials. By dispensing with certain detrimental ingredients, plasticizers and solvents, the surfaces are particularly low-emission and low-odor. And Continental is working on a system for active noise suppression so that vehicle interiors also truly become a well-being space. It not only shields vehicle occupants from exterior noise, but also reduces the driving noise inside the car.