Author: Tim Stevens
Date: January 31, 2023
Link: https://www.motortrend.com/news/future-car-interior-autonomy-technology/
The insides of today’s cars carry a radically different style than they did 50 years ago—chrome and vinyl have been replaced by piano black plastic and Alcantara, for example—yet the core function of the interior has stayed the same: piloting the machine. The steering wheel and pedals haven’t changed much; they’re still positioned within easy reach of the driver and continue to take up a significant chunk of space.
In the coming autonomous age, all that will change. When the driver controls finally disappear, the car will pilot itself and rely on only the most basic of inputs from its occupants as they’re whisked away to wherever they ask it to go.
Meanwhile, the electrification of the automobile will usher in a new era of interior design, thanks to the proliferation of flexible, flat-floor configurations suitable for work, play, and everything in between. What will the future of the cabin look like? Here are some things to keep an eye out for over the next few decades as the car inevitably evolves.
Analysis:
When I first read this article, I thought it was out there. I had never even thought about a car not having a steering wheel. I know self-driving cars are a quickly developing idea, but I thought there’d be a steering wheel in case someone needs to take control (being I don’t think we will ever completely give over complete control). But once I opened up my mind and thought about what it would be like not to have any of the vehicle controls, I saw a new world of possibilities. For instance, will cars become individual limo machines where the car drives and passengers relax and do whatever they please in the back seat? This made me think that if this happened, what things would they want to have in their vehicles to relax or do other activities? This article explores some of those possibilities and addresses some of the accompanying features. The question I now have is how grocery shopping will change when these changes happen; specifically, if grocery pickup continues to be popular, how will that be affected as well?
