Nissan Shows Off Futuristic ‘IDS Concept’ Electric Car

Nissan on Tuesday unveiled its vision of the future: the autonomous, zero-emissions IDS Concept car.

Presented at this week’s Tokyo Motor Show, the vehicle integrates control and safety technologies with artificial intelligence for the next generation of self-driving cars. It’s the first of what Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn hopes will be many vehicles equipped with this technology by the year 2020.

The sleek automobile comes in two modes: Manual Drive or Piloted Drive.

Manual puts the driver in control of what looks like a game console accessory. But you’re not alone: the car’s sensors continually monitor conditions, and offer assistance if necessary. The IDS Concept’s built-in AI also communicates with the motorist, highlighting traffic conditions and the day’s schedule.

Push the glowing blue Nissan button in the middle of the wheel to switch into Piloted Drive, relinquishing responsibility to the smart vehicle, which imitates the driver’s style and preferences.

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The Nissan IDS Concept is more than just a look-Ma-no-hands car, though. Move between driving styles and the vehicle moves with you: In Piloted mode (pictured), the steering wheel recedes into the center instrument panel and a large flat screen opens, and all four seats rotate slightly inward, making it easier to chat with passengers. Even the illuminated gas pedal shrinks into the footwell.

Back in Manual Drive, all seats are facing forward, you’re holding the steering wheel at “10 and 2,” and the interior lighting switches to blue to help stimulate concentration.

“In every situation, it is about giving the driver more choices and greater control,” Ghosn said during the Tokyo Motor Show. “And the driver will remain the focus of our technology development efforts.”

Nissan’s concept car features exterior lighting and displays, which can let pedestrians know it’s okay to cross the street, and signals to passing bicyclists that the vehicle sees them.

“A key point behind the Nissan IDS Concept is communication,” design director Mitsunori Morita said in a statement. “For autonomous drive to become reality, as a society we have to consider not only communication between car and driver but also between cars and people.”