It takes a shift in perspective to live with autonomous vehicles, and with this in mind Honda has introduced the Augmented Driving Concept for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2020 to ‘address the cultural transition to autonomous vehicles’, the automaker said. Users will be able to enjoy mobility in new ways when no longer tasked with the responsibilities of driving, says Honda, though they may still want to experience ‘the emotion and thrill of driving’.
The Augmented Driving Concept aims to feature a seamless transition between autonomous and semi-autonomous driving operations, and the autonomous driving system remains constantly on standby in order to take over and control the vehicle when needed, says Honda.
Changing modes between automatic and manual mode is done with a switch, while the system features ‘more than eight modes’ between fully autonomous and semi-autonomous operation, according to Honda. To support its autonomous capabilities, the Augmented Driving Concept employs various sensors to continuously read the user’s intentions in order to smoothly transition between drive modes.
Honda has also offered its take on the steering wheel with the Augmented Driving Concept. Here, patting the steering wheel twice starts the vehicle, and the steering wheel is also employed for accelerating and decelerating the car; pull back on the steering wheel and the car slows down, while pushing forward on it picks up speed.
Honda has not indicated if the Augmented Driving Concept features electric drive or internal combustion, though similarities to the Honda e hatchback in its front-end styling suggests it has been designed with an EV platform in mind. For reference, the electric hatchback features a rear axle-mounted motor with outputs of either 136 PS or 154 PS and maximum torque of 315 Nm; at its unveiling in Germany, the Honda e was priced from 29,470 euros (RM136,108) for the 136 PS version.
GALLERY: Honda e at 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show
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Looks more like Big Hero 6 on wheels.