Icona has released a handful of images of its
upcoming Nucleus concept. Described as the “ultimate self-driving living room,”
the Geneva-bound Nucleus is a fully autonomous concept which builds on the
ideas that were presented by the Neo back in 2015.
Icona says the concept has a “mono-volume exterior”
which is asymmetrical as the model only has one door. The car also eschews
traditional side windows for semi-transparent body-color panels which allow
passengers to see out while preventing outsiders from looking in. The
semi-transparent theme continues with the roof as it features a unique design
which blends transparent and semi-transparent glass panels.
The concept measures 5.25 meters long,
2.12 meters wide and 1.75 meters tall. Despite being
relatively large, the concept has a drag coefficient of less than 0.25 thanks
to an underbody diffuser and “wheel arch aerodynamic blade extensions.”
Since the car is fully autonomous, designers
developed a stylish and modern interior that doesn’t have a steering wheel or
dashboard. Icona says the Nucleus can “easily accommodate six people” and noted
the seats can be moved and even transformed into a couch.
Despite the focus on creating a cozy and comfortable
cabin, the concept has also been designed with productivity in mind. If you’re
heading to a business meeting, you can use the concept’s table to review your
presentation or make some last minute changes to your pitch.
While we shouldn’t expect to see vehicles like the
Nucleus in the near future, Icona believes fully-autonomous driving systems
will enable vehicles to “more usefully employed” in the future. As the company
explained, one car could “take you to the airport, come back to pick up the
kids from school then later take the grandparents to a doctor’s appointment.”
