One does not simply buy a Rinspeed car. They have no easily-accessible showrooms, and all of their vehicles are one-offs.
Instead, they provide endless mirth at major auto shows like that ongoing in Geneva, with vehicles like the autonomously-driven XchangE.
It is, of course, based on the Tesla Model S. Perhaps it’s a sign that Tesla has made it. Past Rinspeed conversions have been based on Porsches, Lotus, and Smart Fortwos. Tesla is in illustrious company.
The other school of thought is that by painting a Model S bile green and chopping up its interior, Rinspeed may have ruined a perfectly good electric car.
But there’s more to the XchangE than the missing doors, odd exterior hue, and attractive model lounging within.
That’s because it’s a new take on the autonomous car, which does away with tedious legislative norms like having someone at the wheel and instead encourages a state of relaxation as the car whisks you to your destination.
The driver and passenger seats fully recline, facilitated by a steering wheel that slides to the center of the dashboard giving the driver more room to stretch out.
Driver and passenger can relax in the glowing blue cabin or enjoy various forms of infotainment. There’s a 32-inch 4k monitor inside the car, and the dashboard panel itself is a 1.2-meter wide display screen. They can even work, but that seems like a waste of good relaxing time.
As well as the ambient lighting, a glass roof with a solar-reducing coating by Evonik Industries keeps the cabin cool and well-lit; and outside you’ll wow passers-by with a set of 20-inch Borbet alloy wheels, a unique body kit, and that unusual color.
Here’s our full Rinspeed XchangE gallery:
This story originally appeared on Green Car Reports.
The Rinspeed XchangE is a Tesla-based self-driving car
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