[Neil Roy]

This thread couldn't have come at a more appropriate moment for me. I was in Mahindra showroom to check out the Scorpio N in person today and couldn't get one sales advisor to talk to me about the 4WD option and it's technicalities. All that I kept hearing was that it has an 8 inch screen and all the other customers kept griping about how they felt robbed that it didn't have a 10 inch screen. I guess It's a difficult job for car manufacturers these days when customers don't want a car but a moving home theatre with a "BIG" screen.
We can hypervent all we want but unless we get Greta Thunberg on board to protest against the harmful effects of big screen on the environment and global warming, we don't stand a chance.

[techmotor]

It’s high time that manufacturers stop going overboard with these screens. My ideal dashboard would be like following (not considering the future advancements).

• Instrument cluster with analog dials for tachometer and speedometer
• Critical information like low fuel, check engine etc. will be in the analog dials section like we had in the earlier cars.
• A 7” instrument cluster to display other convenient info like trip details, tpms, drive modes, navigation etc.
• A HUD with minimal information critical during driving with our “Eyes on the road”. The information shown can be configured. For eg, minimalist view of navigation can be one view and speed(kmph), rpm, gear indicators another view.
• Infotainment screen will show reverse cam, 360 degree cam feeds. Music will be through Android Auto/Apple Carplay with presentation like track details, coverflow etc. as per the corresponding interface provided by Google/Apple. Touch controls in the screen for use by co-driver/front passenger
• Steering mounted physical controls for music playback and phone operations by driver. Physical knobs/buttons for A/C and related functions.

Rest of the physical components like indicator/light/wiper stalks etc. will remain as it is. Hope it’s not too difficult to implement these.

[pradeep_mvpa]

It is a matter of time before you see touch screen controls on steering wheel too! Glad that he spoke up against this stupid trend!

I think the only display I am really keen to have is a map, which is a must these days.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by pradeep_mvpa

It is a matter of time before you see touch screen controls on steering wheel too! Glad that he spoke up against this stupid trend!

Well. Say hi to the latest Mercedes and Ferraris.

[Dry Ice]

I can sense a few bean counters at the auto majors go *ka-ching* at this statement. Big screens for the majority and then ask for more to give less!

Optional Extra - Analogue cockpit, drive like its the 80s again! Relive that nostalgia.

[AnishRanjan]

Well I think this is the best thing to come from a car industry senior in a long time. The people praising screens and talking good about it, you don't understand the dangers of these big screens with apps like Youtube and streaming services in it. A driver needs his eyes on the road 100% all the time and even seconds of lack of concentration might lead to drastic consequences. None of us cant argue on that. These days drivers have their eyes more on their screens every few seconds than on the road, it scares me.

I have seen people watching movies while driving on national highways at cruising speeds and don't you think its a dangerous precedent. A car is meant to driven and screens and technology are not for a road where people need to alert and focused. The sole purpose of a driver is not to be distracted by gizmos but to focus on the road fully.

In India we have all kinds of people driving and with little or no skill sometimes, again I guess we all agree. These gizmos are just making the unpredictability that much more dangerous.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by RahulNagaraj

Thierry Métroz - the chief designer of Citroen's premium sub-brand DS, is reported to have expressed a desire to "revolutionise" car interiors by removing all screens.

The first point I thought about is navigation. How will they design navigation without a screen displaying the maps? Just voice assists and segmented LED displays?

Or they can employ a small form factor color printer to repeatedly print the most relevant map with the car's position on it and scroll the paper roll to display it to the driver, and then keep rolling the paper when a new map is printed

Jokes apart, I think a screen-less car cockpit will be really impractical.

[carthick1000]

I welcome this idea towards no screen. Extending on the original post + suggestion from Jeroen, may be something like:

A Tesla model 3 (a car with extremely minimum of buttons)
MINUS the screen
PLUS a headsup display (Navigation, speed, selecting tracks source etc. etc.)
PLUS few useful buttons

should indeed be possible. If someone can pull this, I bet on the French.

Originally Posted by Maverick1977

May be a PR stunt.

I don't think so. This guy is someone who is more qualified to make such statements than most other designers. Look at his design of Renault Avantime and then you will know:

Avantime is the last project done by Matra in collaboration with Renault. It was a mix between an Espace(MPV) and a coupe : We use to call it "Coupespace". The prototype shown below was a teaser of the production model. it has been exhibited at the Geneva motor show in 1999.

Team :

Senior VP corporate Design : Patrick Le Quément
Renault Design Director Concept-cars : Michel Jardin
Exterior design : Thierry Metroz
Interior design : Thierry Metroz / Stephane Janin
Color&trim design : Isabelle Charles

























source

[theMAG]

Citroen is the quirkiest of the French car designers - with some out-of-this-world cars (Citroen 2CV/DS) and some just plain poorly designed quirks (C3 Pluriel, various interior designs), and mostly for the French/Euro market.

I'm confident this particular non-screen rhetoric from Citroen will not find way to the larger/global/niche Stellantis brands, hopefully.