RINSPEED OASIS

GARDEN PLOT ON WHEELS FOR THE URBAN JUNGLE

It’s Geneva, it’s the motor show and as always it’s wacky Swiss automotive guru Frank M Rinderknecht’s latest flight of fancy – his 23rd to date. His latest riff on mobility is the Oasis concept. It’s a self-driving electric vehicle for the city and surrounding areas, and as his company Rinspeed put it, he refutes the deeply ingrained notion of the urban jungle that requires SUVS the size of battle tanks for the daily struggle for survival. His alternative concept: a manoeuvrable speedster with an integrated small garden plot behind the windscreen.

Featuring large glazed areas and shrouds on the front wheels, the futuristic two-seater runabout has a special steering angle, two in- wheel electric motors and torque vectoring. On the inside, in addition to the small garden plot, there are armchairs, a sideboard and TV to provide a modern living room ambience in white. Innovative textiles and wood flooring are among the trim features.

High-tech highlights include Harman LIVS (Life-enhancing Intelligent Vehicle Solutions), next-generation Web connectivity, and apps such as interactive social networking. A curved 5K widescreen display with voice- or gesture- control spans the width of the vehicle and the steering wheel folds flat to turn into a keyboard or work surface during autonomous drive.