Geneva Motor Show is usually the venue where the crazy Swiss company Rinspeed present their outlandish idea. This time though, they have picked the CES 2016 show in Las Vegas to present their latest creation, the Rinspeed Etos (?tos).
The reason for that could be because Rinspeed Etos is not so much a car as a gadget, designed to make tech-crazed geeks all wet in the pants. This thing takes reinforces Rinspeed’s obsession with driverless cars and takes it to a whole new level. The Etos has an adaptive autopilot capable of learning; the interior adapts to the driving mode; and yes, that is a drone complete with a landing pad on the back. This drone can apparently do your shopping for you, fetching items you have ordered online.
Rinspeed Etos is no doubt very clever, as Rinspeed products always are. But it is also way ahead of its time. We are pretty sure it is illegal to fly a drone while driving, and a steering wheel that folds into the dashboard when you are in autonomous mode may not pass many safety tests. But there are some features the Etos has which could be adapted in normal production cars – features like the Harman Connected Car technologies which connects with the occupants of the car in a “thinking, courteous and anticipatory manner.”
Rinspeed boss Frank M. Rinderknecht saud: “The major and especially the disruptive innovations in future automotive engineering will come from the digital realm. That is why all major manufacturers and suppliers are now present at the CES Consumer Electronic Show.”