Luxury Cars over the Horizon

To engineer a luxury car of the future, today's designers must first conceive of what luxury will mean in the year 2030. Will it just be about the car's curb appeal? Will drivers -- and passengers -- expect not only to be comfortable in their luxury cars but also pampered? If so, then perhaps future luxury will be delivered through tranquility, speed and control.

The 8-wheel, all-electric Eliica, from Japan's Keio University, shown in Tokyo in December 2005.

Tranquility certainly appears to be on the minds of Barcelona, Spain-based car designers Ficosa International. In 2005, Ficosa re-imagined a car's interior in the Senzai. The designers took their cues from nature, including elements like water and wood and even integrating the perception of wind within the car's cabin. Their ideas were based around Japanese Zen gardens.

An illuminated stream, enclosed in glass, falls from the top of the Senzai's dashboard to the rear floorboards, separating the driver from the passenger. On either side of the stream, the floor consists of Japanese-inspired sand gardens, which extend a warm glow to the interior cabin [source: Car Design News]. Raked sand lends a windswept impression to the interior. 

Those of us who expect to shell out $320,000 for a luxury car by 2030 should keep an eye on Keio University in Japan. That was the going rate for the Eliica, an 8-wheel electric car designed by Keio engineers when it debuted as a prototype in 2005 [source: Gizmag]. Each of the Eliica's wheels has its own 100-horsepower electric motor, making the car capable of high speeds and smooth handling [source: Auto Express]. In fact, although the Eliica lacks an engine and transmission, the electric motors driving the car can produce speeds of up to 230 miles per hour [source: Gizmodo].