Design trend: The central control display will be integrated into the instrument panel

    Designers have always wanted to design a center console display that can display rich content without distracting the driver. With this vision in mind, Audi's design solution is to integrate the center console display with the instrument display.

    Audi has created a new concept cabin for the next generation Audi TT - it has no central control display. All entertainment information functions, including navigation, music, communication and other functions are integrated behind the steering wheel, integrated with the speedometer, tachometer and fuel gauge.

    At the North American Auto Show held last month, Audi's Allroad Shooting Brake concept car also used this integrated display screen.

    "The goal is to put as much information as possible directly in front of the driver's field of vision," Audi spokesman Brad Stertz said in an email. "Especially at higher speeds, we want the driver to focus more on what's ahead and less on the center console."

    Visteon and Panasonic, two automotive infotainment equipment suppliers, recently released cabin designs that do not include center console displays.

    At the North American Auto Show last month, Panasonic released the Smart Instrument Cluster, which displays all entertainment information on the digital display behind the steering wheel. There are only three knobs on the center console for adjusting the air conditioning system.

    If the center console display is eliminated and integrated into the instrument display, automakers will save a lot of costs. There is no need to configure additional devices such as head-up displays.

    The combination of electronic instruments and head-up displays can fully meet the relevant safety regulations of the US NHTSA - the time for a single touch operation with the hand off the steering wheel must be less than 2 seconds, and the maximum time to complete a task cannot exceed 12 seconds.

    In addition, a recent consumer survey conducted by Panasonic showed that people prefer instrument displays installed behind the steering wheel rather than center console displays in the middle because they are easier to observe, especially when the car is moving.

    At the CES show held earlier this year, Visteon demonstrated the LightScape digital instrument cluster, which uses a 12.3-inch display, the same as the display in the Audi TT concept car cabin. Visteon revealed that it has reached an agreement with a European car company to apply the LightScape design to mass-produced cars in 2016, but did not disclose which car company it was.

    Since today's designs tend to integrate the display screen into the instrument panel, does this mean that the center console display screen will disappear in the future? Audi's answer is "probably not."

    Audi spokesman Stertz said: "In Audi's future sedans, SUVs and other models, we will still use central control displays."

    Generally speaking, display integration is a major trend. In sports cars, drivers have less free time for their eyes and are more dependent on the instrument display. In entry-level cars, integrating the display can significantly reduce the cost of manufacturing the car.