GENEVA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- New concepts are attracting thousands of automotive enthusiasts at this year's Geneva International Motor Show, as firms design increasingly futuristic cars to meet the eclectic needs of global consumers.
One such vehicle is the Pop.Up, the product of a joint venture between Italdesign and Airbus seeking to solve the growing problem of combining emission-free transport with better mobility in megacities around the world.
"The Pop.Up system aims to give time back to commuters through a flexible, shared and adaptable new way of moving within cities introducing a new user-focused transportation system concept," the companies revealed in a statement.
"The Pop.Up vehicle combines the flexibility of a small two-seater ground vehicle with the freedom and speed of a vertical take-off and landing air vehicle, thus bridging the automotive and aerospace domains," they added.
Entirely carbon free, the rationale behind monocoque capsule, which measures 2.6 meters long, 1.4 meters high and 1.5 meters wide, is to suit the needs of busy city-dwellers in a way that is energy efficient and time conscious.
Passengers are able to book their ground or airborne journeys through a user-friendly app, which then suggests the best available travel options based on a range of factors including user knowledge, timing, traffic congestion, costs, ridesharing demands and following the preferences and needs of passengers.
"Adding the third dimension to seamless multi-modal transportation networks will, without a doubt, improve the way we live and how we get from A to B," said Mathias Thomsen, Airbus' General Manager for Urban Air Mobility, in a statement.
"Successfully designing and implementing solutions that will work both in the air and on the ground requires a joint reflection on the part of both aerospace and automotive sectors, alongside collaboration with local government bodies for infrastructure and regulatory frameworks," he added.
Another popular model, which seeks to revolutionize the relationship between private transport, user experience and safety, is Segula's Hagora Pulse, "an ultra-connected concept car with an innovative design."
As well as its pedestrian detection modality, engineers have incorporated a number of features to improve both overall user-experience and general well being.
This includes E-sense, which monitors the medical health of the vehicle's occupants, the Car2Car field, which enables the constant transmission of information between vehicles, and the incorporation of gesture commands combined with augmented reality to promote driver experience and safety.
A range of technological innovations has also been tailored to make the car as environmentally-friendly as possible.
"Hagora Pulse is a bundle of technology in a single concept car, from connected driving and health to augmented reality, as well as weight reduction and energy efficiency," Segula explained.
"Aside from its potential use in connected vehicles, augmented reality is also taking center stage with the autonomous industrial drone ATLAS," the firm added.
