By Kamil Kaluski
We focus a lot on the exterior design of cars, but the truth is that we spend most of our time with cars, inside our cars (hopefully, right?). I therefore rate interior design to be vastly more important than exterior design. Be it comfort or ergonomics, a good interior is not easy to design. Further adding to design challenges is the money factor; doing something well and cheaply is not easy.
Further to this, modern vehicle interior designs are undergoing many changes. Automakers are adding screens and removing buttons and knobs. But some are retaining some button and some knobs. Some still use analog gauges, some use screen exclusively. Many cars have optional head-up displays. Some are trying to integrate gesture or voice controls with various levels of success.
Another key factor in vehicle design is smartphone integration. Apple CarPlay is a thing, but automakers are very nervous about giving any vehicle control to a device that they have no control over.
So, today I ask – what makes a great interior? Is it the materials? The ergonomics? The design? The seats? The space? Is it all of the above?
Here are some design details of a Genesis G80. I thought that this design was truly excellent from all perspectives. But it does come at a price.
Jeff Glucker