Driving without a driver. Volkswagen is showing the maximum extension stage of automated driving in the I.D. VIZZION. The levels of automation are subdivided into five levels. From Level 4, the multiple redundantly designed technologies for automated driving are so intelligent that a driver is no longer needed. Nonetheless, cars operating at Level 4 still have a steering wheel and cockpit inside, and the user can choose to drive it conventionally as well. In the I.D. VIZZION designed for Level 5, this is no longer the case. It drives exclusively as a fully autonomous vehicle. Consequently, there is no longer any need for a driver's seat, steering wheel, dash panel or foot pedals. This frees up more space in the lounge-like open space. The I.D. VIZZION detects its environment via inter-connected laser scanners, ultrasonic sensors, radar sensors for objects in the near-zone and radar sensors for long distances, front and rear cameras and side area view cameras. The sensors are not visible in the latest I.D. concept car. Traffic data is also continually obtained via the cloud and is compared with the data in the I.D. VIZZION. Future networking of vehicles with one another will also enable the Volkswagen car to utilise the swarm intelligence of the immediate surroundings and the larger environment (Car-2-Car and Car-2-X). In addition, the I.D. VIZZION integrates high-resolution digital maps into navigation.
Beginning as early as 2025. Volkswagen assumes that Level 4 and Level 5 of fully automated driving will already be a reality in 2025. This means that autonomous driving will become a part of mobility sooner than was assumed for a long time.