What's this then?

This is Sedric, but you can ignore the silly name and the box-the-car-came-in styling - Volkswagen is deadly serious that this is part of the future of urban mobility.

Sedric, powered by a 136hp electric motor with a 250-mile range, is an urban four-seat transport with Level Five autonomous capability. That means it can drive itself, without help from you or anyone else. You can send it to pick up the kids from sports day, to drop your mum to the airport, or to pick up your shopping - all at the touch of a button or the click of a smartphone.

While Volkswagen is targeting an ambitious (if slightly unlikely) 2025 launch date for vehicles such as this, the Sedric is designed to show what the self-driving urban transport of the future could look like. Like a milk carton on its side, apparently...

Still, the whole idea of the Sedric is that it's not like a normal car and so doesn't have to conform to normal ideas of desirability. Instead, it's all about the inside, with a comfy two-seat couch at the back and a London Taxi-style flip-up pair of seats at the other end. In between is a welcoming wooden floor and all around are bamboo charcoal air filters and potted plants to help oxygenate the air.

The windscreen isn't a windscreen at all, but a huge OLED touch screen that can act as cinema or satnav, depending on what you fancy. The Sedric is also set up for the next generation of those who want to take to the road but couldn't hope to get a driver's licence - the activation system uses a combination of countdown colours and vibrations to help the partially sighted find their Sedric, while the LED lights at the front act like eyes and can look directly at, even wink at, passing pedestrians.

It's all part of Volkswagen's post-'dieselgate' commitment to pouring money and resources into electric and autonomous car research, which also included an investment in ride-sharing company Gett and the creation of its own in-house mobility solutions company, MOIA. The Sedric is obviously ideal for both, but it could be sold to private buyers too.

And Audi, Skoda and SEAT versions too? Almost certainly, but don't hold your breath for a Lamborghini variant...

"The Volkswagen Group has always democratised individual mobility in many countries of the world with its brands. The company will also make advanced technology and safety available for all with its new mobility concept" said Volkswagen in a statement. "The Concept Car Sedric is a central component of this mobility solution. In conjunction with its equally innovative control system, Sedric is giving entirely new meaning to the concept of autonomous driving. The touch of a button suffices. And the self-driving automobile comes along and takes its passengers conveniently and safely to their destination."