Fiat-Chrysler on Tuesday unveiled a concept car designed for Millennials: an electric-powered minivan with modular components that can be adapted for autonomous driving.<\/p>\n
\nThe Chrysler Portal concept car was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to show off its technology in a design that is radically different from its counterparts.<\/p>\n
Inside a boxy exterior, the vehicle has an adaptable, modular \u201cthird space\u201d that can be modified for passengers or cargo.<\/p>\n
The company said it can be used in \u201csemi-autonomous operation,\u201d where a driver has the option to turn control over to the vehicle under certain highway driving situations.<\/p>\n
The Portal, like some new tech-rich vehicles, uses an array of sensors to monitor conditions that can assist drivers.<\/p>\n
It is also \u201cengineered to upgrade to higher levels of autonomy as technology progresses,\u201d according to a statement.<\/p>\n
FCA\u2019s Tim Kuniskis said the concept was backed by \u201csignificant research on the millennial generation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMillennials have clearly defined that they want a vehicle that will grow with them as they experience life changes,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cFCA is a leader in family transportation and it was essential that we fully explored the idea of what a vehicle could look like for this emerging generation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The vehicle, for which production plans have not yet been announced, is designed as a family car that can be adapted for commercial use or car-sharing.<\/p>\n
Chrysler engineer Ashley Edgar said it was loosely based on the Chrysler Pacifica but is \u201ca new platform.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the design is \u201cvery focused on modularity,\u201d adding that \u201cit grows with you, it evolves with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
For example, seats can be added as a family grows to avoid the need for a new vehicle.<\/p>\n
It has full-color, changing LED lighting on the front, side portals and rear that allows it to take on different colors and can be tailored for personal, business or drive settings.<\/p>\n
In terms of electronics, the car is designed with facial recognition and voice biometrics to recognize the driver to customize lighting, music and other settings.<\/p>\n
It can also work with emerging safety technologies such as vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle to infrastructure communication.<\/p>\n
Edgar said that although there were no specific production plans for the car some features were \u201cvery close\u201d to being implemented on a production car.<\/p>\n
The Italian-American firm is working with a number of partners on the car including Adient, Magneti Marelli, Panasonic Automotive and Samsung Electronics.\u2014AFP<\/p>\n
Image: YouTube\/ MLive<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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