Car News Articles

Electronics have played a huge role in the way we use vehicles and the way they make being a driver – or passenger – more enjoyable and comfortable.

Everything from the environment to our safety and comfort benefits from on-board computers (sometimes there are many) on every modern vehicle.

But, even though the progress of electronics has been substantial over the last couple of decades, it’s the future that holds the most exciting prospects.

One area electronics will play a big role is in personalising vehicles, especially the instrument cluster and other driver controls.

Imagine a digital instrument cluster you can tailor to your tastes, in much the same way you can tailor the display on your mobile phone or the desktop on your computer.

All it takes is a colour screen – the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, for example has a screen for its speedo, which is presented in an analogue layout – and the options are endless.

The beauty of a colour screen is that almost anything is possible, provided it still meets regulations and various safety standards.

So the age-old argument about which is better, a digital or analogue speedo, could be solved instantly.

Car makers could allow the driver to choose which layout they prefer, with an analogue speedo still possible. Even better is that the driver could choose the size and font of the numbers and even the background colour.

Manufacturers could provide a number of preset layouts, but the possibilities are ultimately endless.

You could also change the layout from week to week or adapt it for different drivers, in much the same way different car keys on some luxury cars store the various comfort settings of a vehicle for different drivers.

One challenge would be replicating the authenticity of a high quality set of dials or gauges. After all, I’m yet to see a digital watch that matches the class and perception of quality of an analogue one, and people are not prepared to pay big money for a digital watch.

While it’s only a small component of the car, the instrument cluster is something all drivers looks at every few seconds every time they drive.

Toby Hagon