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Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Roads: Volkswagen’s Hover Car Concept

Volkswagen's Chinese arm has been working a new People's Car Project since last year, and so far, the program has resulted in three quirky concepts.

Born out of a public survey on what Chinese buyers can imagine for the car of the future, t


Volkswagen's Chinese arm has been working a new People's Car Project since last year, and so far, the program has resulted in three quirky concepts.

Born out of a public survey on what Chinese buyers can imagine for the car of the future, the project's leading concept is the Hover Car, that stalwart of futuristic commuting dreams.

With a little help from its computer animation genies, Volkswagen has released a new video that demonstrates what we might expect to see in the (probably quite distant) future.

The Hover Car video describes a network of electromagnetic road systems that the 'car' would float above, eliminating surface wear and the need for broad tracts of concrete and asphalt across the country.

"The creative ideas from the 'People's Car Project' give us a valuable insight into the wishes of Chinese drivers," Simon Loasby, Head of Design at Volkswagen Group China, said. '

"The trend is towards safe cars that can easily navigate overcrowded roads and have a personal, emotional and exciting design."

Other concepts to come out of the People's Car Project include the Music Car and the Smart Key (... glad the concepts are a little more creative than the names).

The Music Car sees the new Beetle hatch covered nose-to-tail with organic light-emitting diodes, causing the colour of the vehicle to change depending on the driver's music selection.

Finally, the Smart Key is more of a phone-like device, with a high-resolution touch-screen keeping the vehicle's owner up-to-date with fuel status, climate conditions and the car's security, over a 3G data network. 

Interestingly, the system will also allow the holder to monitor the car's 'real time' status from a bird's eye perspective, through rapidly updated satellite images.

While we might never see the Hover Car, and the Music Car too is a bit of a stretch, the Smart Key however could start appearing on new models in the not-too-distant future.

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