Volkswagen has confirmed that it has moved on to the next stage of testing of a self-driving research vehicle.
The vehicle, dubbed the Gen.Urban, has already completed extensive trials and will now head out onto public roads in Wolfsburg for the next phased on the ongoing development work.
The public tests will ‘explore how passengers experience riding in a self-driving vehicle without a traditional steering wheel or pedals’.
The person conducting the test ‘drive’ will initially be a member of the Volkswagen Group and will be seated in the drivers seat, with a safety driver onboard who can intervene if required using a special control panel.
A series of experts will collect data on user behaviour as part of the study, which will comprise of a series of trips around a 10km route in the German city.
"The technology for autonomous driving is making rapid progress,” Nikolai Ardey, Head of Volkswagen Group Innovation, said.
“With our Gen.Urban research vehicle, we want to understand exactly how passengers experience autonomous driving. Why? Because the key to a positive customer experience is to build trust – through meaningful interaction, a relaxed atmosphere, and intelligent assistance systems that respond precisely to the needs of passengers.
“Ultimately, technology should fit people, not the other way around. We will benefit from these insights across the entire Group in the long term.”
Nissan is amongst the list of manufacturers who have been conducting autonomous driving tests on public roads, with a fleet of LEAF models having been used to complete extensive running in the UK.
- Volkswagen