The interior of the Audi's new concept AI: ME with automated driving system is seen during the media day for Shanghai auto show in Shanghai, China April 17, 2019. REUTERS/Aly Song
In the design studies, automakers have taken advantage of the space freed up by the electric motor, which takes less room than the bulky internal combustion engine, cooling apparatus and complex transmission gears needed for gasoline cars. Both the AI:me urban car and Infiniti’s QX Inspiration SUV have flat floors, interiors large enough to accommodate what looks like a sofa in the back and more leg room and storage.
That in turn points to the possibility of “a return of the bench seat” in the front and the rear - a throwback to American cars of a bygone era, Habib told Reuters.