One of the most important aspects of your enjoyment in a car has to do with the cabin. Automotive interiors are evolving, and becoming more important.
Sure, we all love a sports car, but how comfortable are they? It’s not bad to spend only a little money on a bargain commuter car until you get inside for a drive. The future of comfort and connectivity is quickly becoming more important than the power and performance of vehicles. This could be where car companies focus for future drivers.
The Four Pillars of the Future Cabin
Eventually, your car will drive you where you want to go without your involvement. While many of us can’t quite imagine that world yet, it’s coming. The evolution of technology-based features brings us to four ways the cabin of your vehicle will become more important than a place for your to pilot your car to your next destination. The trend is found in the evolution of ACES, which stands for Automation, Connectivity, Electrification, and Shard Services. These four pillars of your future cabin will change the setup and offer new ways to experience your ride.
Its Where You Spend Your Time
If you’ve ever transitioned from riding public transportation to work into driving your own car, you know you lost something along the way. While owning and driving your car gives you the freedom to be on your schedule, the time you spend on the bus or subway reading or relaxing is gone. You could get some of that back with future cars. This is one reason why many automotive executives believe automotive interiors are more important than exteriors when it comes to future vehicles that we’ll own and use to get around.
What Shapes the Change in the Cabin of Your Car?
The future of your vehicle will change significantly from now to the end of the decade. Some of these changes are already taking place, while others are expected in the near future. Let’s look at what could drive the changes to the vehicle cabin you experience.
New Vehicle Types
Several new types of cars are coming. The move from gas-powered vehicles to electric is already underway, and we see the benefits in the cabin area. An example of some important improvements can be found in the new Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 SUVs. These crossovers are compact in size, but the wheelbase and cabin area is similar to three-row crossovers that are much larger. Without an engine in the front of the vehicle, these models can use the space for a larger interior area, which gives everyone more comfort. Another example of this change is in the Ford F-150 Lightning, which uses the former engine bay as a massive frunk measuring 14 cubic feet with places to power and charge tools and devices.
Once we’ve come to a place where autonomous vehicles are part of the norm, the layout of automotive interiors can change. The items currently positioned for the driver will be gone and more space will be made available to reconfigure the cabin and offer various ways to interact with other passengers in the vehicle.
Connectivity Will Change
The Human Machine Interaction will change from touchscreens, and wonky voice commands to more natural voice commands and holographic display systems. Future vehicles may allow you to watch a movie across the entire windshield of your car instead of using this area to see out to the road. This could be an incredible change that will make your entire experience much more enjoyable.
We already see some over-the-air updates in vehicles; expect this to become a widespread norm in the models we see and enjoy. Natural voice could become a predominant input and offered as a post-purchase feature or incorporate new software with ease. The connectivity options of future models are only limited by the imagination of those working to create the technology.
Comfort Will Improve
Some feel the future of automotive interiors could offer ways for us to enjoy a more home-like feeling inside our vehicles. Unless automakers and legislators can guarantee a collision won’t take place, this change might be a bit slower than some of the others. The safest way to ride is still facing forward with a seatbelt on, but that could change. It could be interesting to see how automakers find both safety and comfort to give you a home-like feeling.
Consider the potential of swiveling seats and smart airbags. Could this become a reality? Will you be able to face your passengers and have a conversation with the confidence that an airbag will deploy in such a way to keep everyone safer regardless of the direction faced? It’s a possibility we shouldn’t rule out.
Sustainability – More Garbage in Your Car
Vehicles tend to last a long time, and even when they end up in the junkyard, they can be recycled and reused. Many automakers are already exploring ways to decrease their global impact and use more sustainable materials. This could mean you have seats made from discarded items, plastics that used to be water bottles, and other items in your vehicle that were basically taken from the garbage. Don’t worry; you won’t notice the use of recycled items, but you will be proud to know your car reduces the negative impact on our planet.
New Items Need to Add Value
As automotive interiors evolve, one question will be asked many times over, “how does this item add value to the vehicle?” If there isn’t a good answer to this question, many items might end up discarded and not offered in future models. This is the cost-efficiency part of the development of your vehicle. We see the price of cars going up and want to understand why we need to pay so much more. If there are items you simply won’t use, these features may not be offered or could become nothing more than a potential option for those drivers that could use them.
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