To change the concept of driving in the future.. Watch the upcoming Pininfarina car from science fiction films

Italian design firm Pininfarina has released a new car design called Teorema, which foresees a fully electric, self-driving car of the future, with a streamlined exterior and interior that can be adapted for all-night driving.

In a press release from Pininfarina, the car's designer explains how the new concept was developed using virtual reality technologies, for "an entirely new interpretation of user experience for the future of fully autonomous electric mobility".

And while the Terima's exterior looks strikingly like a car from the sci-fi video game Cyberpunk 2077, Pininfarina's designers made the car's interior a focal point.

The passenger enters the vehicle via the rear panel, which slides up and out to allow passengers to walk into their seats.

Pininfarina says the design makes riding Terema "not much different from entering the living room".

The seats can be adapted to either sit upright or lie horizontally in a sleeping position (Pininfarina)

Adjustable partitions allow for privacy if needed, while the seats can be adapted to either sit upright or lie horizontally in a sleeping position.

The 212-inch (540-cm) Terima features an unusual design of a single front seat and two rows of rear seats, which can be adapted into two beds.

Terema also uses a modular Benteler Electric Drive system (BEDS), which allows its chassis to have ample interior space, while remaining low close to the ground.

The concept car had separate driving modes, allowing for different levels of autonomy.

At the top is a Level 5 Autonomous Mode, where the driver can turn around, face and interact with other passengers.

In driving mode, the driver uses two levers to control the vehicle, and passengers can monitor trip information via an augmented reality system called WayRay built into the car's smart glass canopy.

At the moment, car manufacturers can conduct Level 2 autonomy, and according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Level 5 autonomy has proven more difficult than expected, and it is likely that we are a long way from seeing a level 5 autonomy. Terema V in fact.

However, at a time when restrictions caused by the pandemic have hampered car shows, and innovative futuristic car concepts have been a rarity over the past two years, it's good to see Pininfarina wow us with a concept that feels like it's coming from a video game set in the extremes of the future.