The autonomous Airo vehicle from Heatherwick Studio was unveiled at this week’s Shanghai Motor Show.
Designed for IM Motors, a joint venture startup from Alibaba and SAIC Motor, the concept electric vehicle (EV) is autonomous and has multiple driver-controlled modes. It contains no steering wheel, pedals or traditional cockpit and comes with a HEPA filtering system that actively cleans the air from the pollution of other vehicles as it passes through the undercarriage.
Airo features a customizable interior that can be configured in multiple ways. The seats rotate from a traditional forward-facing driving position to face each other for social activities such as dining on a four-leaf table that folds away, a foldaway screen also turns the interior into a gaming pod or the seats can fully recline to form a spacious double bed.
Heatherwick Studio also designed a charging station for IM Motors that will become part of the infrastructure of a city where the vehicles will be deployed. The charging station will aim to be part of the urban fabric with retractable wire and an ergonomic handle to connect to EVs.
The concept vehicle is expected to go into production for IM Motors in 2023.
