A fictional transport innovator has unveiled a motorised sofa designed for commuters who find a car too active an environment in which to sit feeling let down.
The vehicle offers generous upholstery, excellent visibility and a cup holder formed by the gap between two cushions. Its principal drawback is that everything previously lost in the sofa is now travelling through a junction.
The manufacturer describes the design as a seamless transition between domestic inactivity and public congestion. Customers no longer need to interrupt a good slump merely because an appointment is several miles away.
A test driver praised the familiar controls. Steering requires concentration, but arriving home involves the usual twenty-minute negotiation about whether getting up is really necessary.
A fictional insurer has requested clarification about whether crumbs should be treated as contents, cargo or an emerging ecosystem. Breakdown cover is available, although the provider reserves the right to distinguish a mechanical failure from the owner having a nap.
Planners are reviewing proposals for dedicated sofa lanes. A consultation has already attracted objections from armchair users, who believe their narrower vehicles deserve priority.
The next model will include a matching footstool. Engineers say the technical challenge is modest compared with persuading drivers that it cannot simply be dragged behind on the motorway.
