Tesla electric vehicles, such as the the Model S high-end sedan and Model X full-size SUV, were conceived by Chief Executive Elon Musk as a green living room on four wheels. The idea of driving a Tesla would be like riding on the road in your apartment or house equipped with the most advanced technologies of the moment.
Musk's ambition reportedly has been to turn Tesla (TSLA) -) EVs into living rooms on four wheels, where passengers can be entertained by streaming TV shows and films, playing videogames or simply doing something instead of driving once they have activated the autonomous driving system, Full-Self Driving.
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Musk's vision was so revolutionary that competing automakers have been trying to emulate the CEO's ideas to the point of even inspiring some of those companies to repeat Musk's vision as their vision.
Volvo
German auto maker Mercedes-Benz MBGAF has a Tesla rival model in its EQB all-electric compact sport utility vehicle. The EQB has an estimated 245 mile range, accelerates 0-60 mph in 8 seconds, and has the lowest price of its EV peers at $52,750.
The automaker is updating the 2024 EQB model, which will be delivered in the first half of the year with a fresh design, black panel surface, new steering wheel, updated technology and high-tech special features.
Getting that living room feeling in a Mercedes
Updated sensor technology includes an improved new mono-multipurpose camera and backup camera. And the optional Driving Assistance Package includes such features as Active Lane Keeping Assist with steering intervention.
It might not quite match Tesla's goal of Full-Self Driving. On the other hand, Tesla's FSD still doesn't make a car autonomous; the company reminds drivers who use the system that at all times they must keep their hands on the wheel and stay alert.
But the EQB is also looking to get to that living room feeling by adding a new Burmester surround-sound system with Dolby Atmos audio experience. It sounds like a system that Tesla strives for in its living-room concept.
The Mercedes-Benz User Experience infotainment multimedia system has been updated and can be customized for subtle, sports or classic styles and three modes, navigation, assistance and service. The central display is part of the vehicle's standard equipment.
Volvo shows off a new electric minivan
Now comes Volvo (VLVLY) -) as it teases its all-new, first-ever fully electric premium minivan, the EM90. Volvo's description of the vehicle looks as if Musk wrote it for the company.
"Imagine a moving space where you can just be you. A place where you can connect with your loved ones, create, relax, work or just think," Volvo said in its Aug. 24 statement teasing its new electric vehicle.
"The Volvo EM90 is our first ever fully electric premium MPV, and is designed for you to make the most of the time spent in the car, like a Scandinavian living room on the move. The new EM90 doesn’t just allow you to travel from A to B – it creates room for your life," the statement said.
Volvo, which was purchased by China's Geely in 2010, said the EM90 would make its global debut Nov. 12. It'll begin taking pre-orders for its China market on the same day. The company said it would release more details about the car in the coming months.
