One of the star surprises of the show was Chevrolet’s FNR concept car. It’s an all-electric, autonomous sports car that you know will never reach showrooms but is still awesome. It was built by General Motors Company to address autonomous driving and how that technological change might affect car design.
This pefrect Chevrolet FNR concept that was revealed at the Shanghai Auto Show.
Chevy says the concept offers “a glimpse at the mobility of the future,” which we agree with 100 percent. We would love for the future to look like this, all curves and angles and double-bubble cockpit and hollow-center wheels and everything. We’re even cool with the fact that it’s electric, the better to motivate those magnetic hub-less wheels and power up with wireless charging.
Of course, it’s only a concept, so it may well never see mass production. For now, it’s far too costly for GM (which owns Chevy) to manufacture it at any scale. But as parts become cheaper and the design is modified, who knows? Perhaps the FNR—or something like it—will be road-ready in 15 or 20 years. Chevy’s stated goal is “to create a unique, intelligent vehicle for tomorrow’s younger consumers.”
In the meantime, the legal situation surrounding driver less vehicles is still a bit murky in the US and elsewhere (only a handful of states have enacted laws addressing them). The front-seat swivel chairs, especially, could be problematic, as most current laws require that a driver be alert and ready to take over the wheel should the car decide it wants to wander into oncoming traffic.