Porsche unveiled the Vision Renndienst last fall and now the company has released the first interior pictures. While there was little doubt the electric van would have an interesting cabin, few would have guessed it was designed for a world of autonomous driving. Described as a “journey far into the future of mobility,” the Vision Renndienst has a center-mounted driver’s seat which can be rotated 180 degrees when the van is being driven autonomously. Elsewhere, there’s a three-spoke steering wheel and a minimalist dashboard with a freestanding digital instrument cluster.
The latter is flanked by switches, which form part of a metallic band that resides beneath a carbon fiber dashboard. We can also see two digital displays, which hang below the dash, and are entertainment systems for the second-row passengers.
Speaking of the latter, the second-row consists of two carbon fiber shelled sport seats that echo the one up front. They’re joined by a lounge-like third-row bench, which increases the seating capacity to six and has curved sides that allow rear passengers to turn towards each other.Another interesting touch is the asymmetrical side windows. While one side has large windows for an unobstructed view, the other side is largely blocked off to make the Vision Renndienst feel like a “protective capsule.” However, the paneled side is outfitted with a digital ‘control bar’ and entertainment screens where the windows would normally reside.
Besides revealing the interior, Porsche designers talked about what they envision for the future. In particular, chief designer Michael Mauer said the company assumes their customers don’t want them to eliminate the steering wheel, even in autonomous vehicles.Porsche’s head of interior design, Markus Auerbach, also noted the “balance between analogue and digital control panels is shifting,” but he believes physical buttons and switches have a place in the future as “you don’t have to take your eyes off the road” to use them.
