A Concept Car Aimed at Young City-Dwellers
While the rest of the world is trying to figure out if millennials have been buying enough cars, some students are aiming to build the vehicles young people will want to drive in the future.
A Clemson University program has created a concept car that is geared specifically at generations Y and Z who will live in megacities in 2020. Its radical design is meant to fulfill more needs than just getting from A to B.
Students from the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) have built what is called Deep Orange 5. Deep Orange is a program at Clemson geared toward giving hands-on experience to graduate automotive engineering students. General Motors sponsored the project.
A view inside the concept car, Deep Orange 5.
In a statement, Paul Venhovens, who leads the Deep Orange program, said the car is about “creating a better value proposition for young adults that have little money to spare, less interest in vehicle ownership than previous generations, yet need a personal mobility solution that aligns with their complex lifestyle.’’
Some highlights from the Deep Orange 5 include:
– Seats that can be moved around for a variety of uses, such as “driving, working, relaxing, and storage.’’
– A digital cockpit and a color display on the front doors where the driver and passengers can “display digital messages to the outside world.’’
– Doors that make it easier to get in and out of the car in tight urban spaces and create easy access for people with disabilities.
There are no plans to mass produce the car.
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(h/t The Verge)
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