Ministering to the interior

The design of passenger car interiors has been changing steadily as safety and comfort systems have been added. The “Playstation” generation is likely to bring an increasing influence on ergonomic and aesthetic design, allied to a reduction in driver workload and a further enhancement in safety systems' capability and flexibility.

In the 1980s, there were jokes about the dashboard lighting of some European and Japanese cars; they were known as “Tokyo by night” presentations, an apparently confusing array of illuminated switches and digital read-outs, the ergonomic logic of which was at best questionable, at worst unfathomable. In the 21st century, things have changed, but now in some upper-segment cars there is, by either day or night, the 747 flight-deck syndrome. Fortunately, like most flight decks, ergonomics have been a priority of design, so the operation of systems is generally logical. But drivers are not trained to the high degree that aircraft pilots are, and the plethora of dials and switches can be daunting.

Many modern aircraft now have “glass cockpits” using display systems to simplify presentation and functions, and some car companies, including BMW with its iDrive, have also moved to try to simplify dashboards and center consoles, sometimes with mixed results. But the amount of information available to the driver is growing and likely to continue doing so as more assets such as surround safety systems, intelligent cruise control, and increasingly sophisticated chassis systems provide an ironic combination of driver support and increased workload.