Volkswagen unveils steering wheel-less, voice-controlled, self-driving concept car

Volkswagen I.D. VizzionGerman automaker Volkswagen has unveiled an autonomous, all-electric vehicle which doesn’t have a steering wheel and can be controlled via voice commands.

The I.D. Vizzion is the fourth member of Volkswagen’s I.D family of vehicles. The fully automated car comes with a ‘digital chauffer’, which takes full control of the vehicle, and a virtual host, enabling the ‘driver’ and passengers to communicate via voice or gesture control as the vehicle as it drives, steers, and navigates through traffic without assistance. According to the company, the vehicle host knows the personal preferences of those within the vehicle, through a ‘complete embedding into the digital eco-system’, and adapts to them individually.

The vehicle has a top speed of 180 kilometres per hour – or 112 miles per hour – and is powered by 111-kilowatt hour lithium-ion batteries, enabling a driving range of up to 665 kilometres when braking regeneration is accounted for.

Volkswagen says it intends to start putting its I.D. models into production by 2020, while introducing more than 20 electric vehicle models by 2025.