The seat slides towards the centre of the vehicle, the backrest changes position – instead of a driver’s seat, the ‘Flex-Seat’ is a place to rest. The minivan is no longer a car, but a lounge or office. An interior that adapts to people, not the other way around.

Martin Pohl, 27, developed this concept. His bachelor’s thesis at Hof University of Applied Sciences: a radically new interior for autonomous driving at Level 4. Driver? Superfluous. And Pohl asks the question: Why then still have a rigid seating concept, a rigid cockpit?

His path began at Opel with an apprenticeship as a model maker: filing, milling, designing. „Creative design and planning – that’s my foundation,“ he says. Then he made the leap to the technical school for product design in Selb. Technical degree, technical college entrance qualification, IHK trainer’s certificate – all in three years. In 2021, he studied „Design and Mobility“ in the newly founded course of study at Hof University of Applied Sciences. His bachelor’s thesis: awarded the top grade.

Pohl’s design interprets the Opel DNA of the ‘Opel Compass’ – based on the concept already shown by the Opel Junior in 1983. Modularity is the principle. Seats, displays, ventilation elements, speakers: all modules, sliding, removable. Even the sound system can be carried outdoors for a picnic. More space, without sacrificing comfort. „I took my Opel Meriva as a guide for the interior: With compact dimensions, the model offers a lot of space in the interior,“ says Pohl.

For his thesis, Pohl delved deep into a new topic: artificial intelligence. It helped with calculating variants, rendering, trying out surfaces. „AI is not a replacement, but a catalyst,“ Pohl emphasises. It takes over routines – such as the calculation of the eighth or ninth seat variant. „And it opens up space for what really counts: the decision, the creative process. Understanding prompting, data quality and AI tools is now just as important as classic drawing or modelling,“ says the 27-year-old.

The ‘Flex-Seat’ concept shows what the automotive future has in store: cars that become living spaces – sometimes workplaces, sometimes places of retreat. Martin Pohl has opened a door with his work: away from the static car and towards dynamic space. And he shows what AI can do in design – „it’s a tool for greater freedom.“