Why Laureti Group is a Business With a “Think Outside the car” Approach - CEO Marcus Paleti

Often mobility companies begin life as tech startups and develop into becoming vehicle manufacturers, Laureti has done it the other way around. It was founded in 2017 and initially started as a fully electric vehicle company. As it became more innovative, it has evolved and emerged as a mobility tech company.

Auto Futures has been talking to Marcus Paleti, Laureti Group's CEO. He started off by telling us about the company's origins.

"You will be surprised to know I had no experience in the auto sector before Laureti. That is part of the reason why the business has a 'think outside the car' approach," says Paleti.

Following a chance meeting with former Aston Martin Lagonda chairman, Tim Hearley, Paleti decided to make the move into the automotive industry.

"From the second year since the company started, we became innovation driven with a study-based approach to act upon thought leading initiatives. The company was restructured with a new team, a new vision and with goals to disrupt the market. Later that year, we were invited to the Le Palais de L'Élysée where we met with president Emmanuel Macron’s advisor who quickly realized the disruptiveness of our model and asked us to reach out for future assistance as we grow."

"Today, Laureti has over sixty technology initiatives that will change the way people travel in cars and beyond in future," he adds.

In May 2020, Laureti revealed its core technology MiRA.OS, an AI powered platform that is a globally connected ecosystem which serves the occupants inside the car as a satellite assistant.

"MiRA.OS is a multi-functional technology on a single platform. It is responsible for all personalized interactions for the users; from enabling mechatronics in the vehicle to communicating between cars and users to providing accuracy of service at each layer of the trip chain. The most unique feature of MiRA is that it allows 100% digital freedom for the users," explains Paleti.

As part of the roll-out plans, Laureti will introduce pilots across London through a handful of black taxis where corporate and business clients will get to experience the Laureti ecosystem on a trial basis.

"This will help us achieve three things. Introduce the commuters to a new way of traveling and create a feedback interaction, introduce them to be part of a new ecosystem which will prepare them for our flagship vehicle and validate the market and pricing assumptions."

Productive, Explorer or Indulgence Mode?

Laureti retains ambitions in the vehicle design and development space. The MiRA-1 is an electric vehicle with a range target of 360 miles that showcases the company's innovations, including the Laureti Cabin. The company plans to deliver orders of its flagship vehicle to fleets, governments and businesses.

Paleti describes the MIRA-1 as, "A business lounge-on-the-move where you can work, relax or be indulged."  

"The cabin itself is highly intuitive and personable to users’ needs and preferences. Imagine entering into a Laureti car in a new city where the cabin instantly knows the ambiance you like, seating preferences and the fragrance to uplift your mood. What’s unique about Laureti is that this experience is portable to any vehicle that’s powered by MiRA." he explains. 

The Laureti Cabin has three modes - Productive, Explorer and Indulgence.

"In Productive mode, you will be able to access your data in a seamless, continuous and secure way. It’s an extension of your office. It’s like being able to log in to your Netflix across various devices. With Laureti, your entire digital life travels with you. If you are traveling for work in different Laureti cars, you don’t need to carry a laptop, you can simply login through any screen," says Paleti.

"In Indulgence mode, you can detach from worldly noises and immerse yourself by activating cabin theater. The seats automatically adjust to the right reclined posture as soon as the mode is activated. The ambiance and environment will prepare itself to the occupant’s taste. In-seat massage function and heating preferences are given."

"Families on a road trip who want to entertain or distract the kids can activate the cabin theater for on demand entertainment or games," he adds.

Explorer mode allows occupants in the car to experience the world around them in an intuitive way.

"I have so many favorites in this mode. One of them is what we call RHUDI, Realtime Heads-Up Display Interface. It’s a see-through head-up display on a passenger window that displays the real time information about the locality, places of interest and tourist attractions based on user preferences," says Paleti.

An Emphasis on the Quality and Experience of Travel

Laureti has a partnership with Icona, a global design group with a strong presence in the mobility and urban transportation sectors.

"They are also heavily involved in significant international projects for the development of the ecosystems, such as smart cities and autonomous Pilot zones. As they lead this from the forefront, they saw an immediate opportunity where Icona’s design and creative capabilities can be further strengthened by powering them with our MiRA technology," says Paleti.

"Whilst Laureti sets to provide the technology; Icona, as a commercial partner, will package their design and technology for smart city contractors as a readily available turnkey product. Having designed unique projects like the Hyperloop capsule and being an active part of projects such as the Shanghai Full-chain Smart Driving Pilot Zone, we expect a global demand through their relationships."

Finally, we asked Paleti what urban mobility will look like by the end of the decade.

"Future users will value mobility modes and services based on the seamlessness, connectivity and productivity in their journeys," he predicts.

Paleti believes that the smart cities of the future can't exist without smart mobility.

"The ever-changing demands of our personal life and work will require constant productivity in each waking hour of our daily lives. For most people, urban transportation is a tolerable time-dead necessity. The cities of the future need to focus on seamless access to services and inter-city transportation through a more human-centric view."

"The rise of autonomous technologies will cause a huge paradigm shift at every level of the multi-modal trip chain. We also know that private ownership of cars will be eclipsed by on-demand services by the end of this decade," he adds.

"So, the emphasis will clearly be on the quality and experience of travel rather than the speed or acceleration. And for that we need to be able to offer users a simplified interface to make journeys seamless. We can solve this by having an integrated and lateral approach today in how we build the hardware and software," concludes Paleti.