Driving blind: Sleek VW patent reveals fully autonomous futuristic Scirocco

Volkswagen is so confident in its fledgling fully autonomous technology that, in the future, it thinks its cars will abandon traditional windscreens to boost aerodynamics, according to a new patent revealed late last night.

Published by the Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the images reveal the sleek two-door coupe will also debut a pair of huge gullwing doors the German car maker is developing, as well as trick active aerodynamics systems that include an extendable rear fin.

It's thought the reason the coupe loses its windscreen is to reduce drag to levels far lower than any production car in existence.

To compensate for the lack of vision, the view of the road ahead is expected to be projected onto the inside of the screen to avoid occupants feeling claustrophobic, or car sick on the move.

It's almost certain the car will feature fully autonomous driving aids, but it's not known whether any of the occupants will actually be able to take over the driving duties on the move.

Volkswagen didn't publish any technical details with the patents, so it's not known what powers the coupe, which follows on from the production version of the ID concept shown at the Paris motor show, that car previewing a new electric vehicle that arrives in 2020.

If it does preview a production vehicle, the low-drag coupe could be the spiritual successor to the Scirocco that Volkswagen recently announced was ending production with a limited-run of special editions.