| Make
|
GM |
| Model |
Car
Hero |
| Concept
year |
2009 |
| Production
year |
- |
| Engine |
- |
The 'Car Hero' is General Motors entry for the 2009 Design
Challenge held by the LA Auto Show. For 2009 the competitors
were asked to design a vehicle for 2030 which would appeal
to generation Z - a group brought up with gaming consoles,
cell phones and other mobile gadgetry.
The GM Car Hero combines gaming and social networking
with real-life driving. It turns driving into gaming and
challenges your skills against the car's autonomous system.
Imagine a gaming experience which can actually teach a
beginner to drive or challenge the experienced… whether
you're a lowbie or a legend, Car Hero takes "getting there"
to a whole new level.
Getting started is easy. Just enter your destination into
the navi app on your smart phone and the car takes care
of the rest. It lets you "play along" and try to match
the skill level of the system. As you get better, the
Car Hero "unlocks" vehicle control to the point where
the autonomous system is overridden and you're in complete
control.
This is where things get interesting. As the Car Hero
gamer demonstrates skill and mastery, the vehicle's "transmorphable"
architecture turns up the intensity by creating an increasingly
challenging driving experience. Car Hero's configuration
rewards your skills by gradually changing from a four,
to three, to the ultimate challenge, a single wheeled
vehicle. Your talent determines how outrageous it gets
and where it lets you go.
The vehicle also features P2P applications like "Friends
Drive" where anyone can come along for a digital joyride,
think of it as Twitter with wheels.
The GM Car Hero concept is a refreshingly ingenious idea.
It may not be practical, it may not even be feasible -
however far in the future. But one thing is certain. It
explores entirely new ways of providing transport - and
that's exactly what a concept car should do.
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