Future Center Europe
GEN.TRAVEL: Interior Experience for the Future
- Company
- Future Center Europe
- Role
- Senior Digital Designer (freelance)
- Team
- +20
- Year
- 2019–2020
- Market
- Mobility, B2C
At Volkswagen Future Center Europe I led digital and product design for GEN.TRAVEL, an autonomous electric concept car for long-distance travel, built on VW's NEW AUTO strategy and shown at Chantilly Arts & Elegance 2022.
Challenge
Volkswagen’s NEW AUTO strategy is its plan for an electric, autonomous and digital future. GEN.TRAVEL is one of its concept cars: an autonomous electric vehicle that rethinks long-distance travel. It debuted at the Chantilly Arts & Elegance festival in 2022.
Design an interior for long-distance travel in a fully autonomous car. It had to be functional, flexible and digital, and fit Volkswagen’s commitment to sustainability. The work defined how passengers interact with space and technology in a car with no driver, and set a design approach that could carry over to future concepts.
Process
As Senior Digital Designer in the advanced team, I led digital and product design and worked with a team of more than 20 people across several departments. I worked on:
- The interior layout and experience flows for each use mode
- Interaction principles across physical and digital touchpoints
- Keeping the spatial design in line with Volkswagen’s brand and sustainability goals
Key solutions
Sustainable HMIRecycled and natural materials, with a minimal, embedded interface.
A cabin that reconfiguresBusiness, family and overnight modes, including a flat sleeping position.
A calm spaceA floating dashboard, few buttons and ambient light.
1. Sustainable HMI and materials. Interface elements made from recycled and natural materials. A minimal, embedded interface to keep cognitive load low, and augmented reality entertainment for families.
2. A cabin that reconfigures. Built around mobility as a service: the interior switches between business, family and overnight use, including a flat sleeping position with new restraint systems for comfort and safety.
3. A calm space. A slim, floating dashboard, very few physical buttons, and ambient lighting for both looks and wellbeing. The car also used AI-driven platooning and eABC (electric Active Body Control) suspension for a smoother ride.
Impact
GEN.TRAVEL was a hands-on look at what autonomous travel as a service could feel like, and how Volkswagen can lead in mobility by combining AI, modular interiors and user-centred design.
What I learned
With no driver and no steering wheel, every assumption about a car interior was open. The hard part was not ideas, it was aligning a team of 20+ people across departments on one experience. I learned to show concepts in the space itself, not on screens, because that’s how engineers and interior designers judged them.