Renault unveiled an obscure new concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show that, if made a reality, would require owners to drastically modify their homes.
Called the Symbioz, the all-electric vehicle is being positioned as a family car that connects to your home wirelessly - and can also be used as a “modular extra room” in your house when parked.
Renault demonstrated this feature at the show by driving the car into the living room of a specially designed house through a large opening in the side of the building - a feature that would need to be retrofitted to real-life homes. A moving platform then raises and lowers the car onto different floors of the house.
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The exterior of the Symbioz has been designed to resemble a futuristic home, reports Auto Express, “with the upper portion of the car made almost entirely from glass and attached to the lower body using a high-tech enamelling process”.
Inside, the company has styled the cabin to feel more like a lounge than a road car, the magazine says. The interior features seats that “automatically pivot to allow occupants to easily sink inside”, as well as “materials such as felt, fine marble and porcelain”.
When not in use, Autocar says, the vehicle can also “return battery power to the house to smooth the waves in power demand that typical home usage creates and can serve as a back-up power supply in the event of a blackout”.
The concept provides a glimpse at what a Renault-badged production car could look like in 2030, adds Autocar. A “demo car” that incorporates features from the concept is expected to appear in 2023.
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