Want to delete all screens in cars: Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler) Designer

With enormous advances in automobile technology, automakers are increasingly competing to add more and more screens to the interiors of cars that are now entering the market. However, there is one significant industry figure who is opposed to this proposal. Thierry Métroz who is the chief designer for France’s DS Automobiles, which is part of the Stellantis Group, during a recent interview with a media source, said that he feels touchscreens do not belong on the inside of his brands’ automobiles. This is why he and his team are constantly searching for ways to “revolutionise” car interiors in order to make them more opulent.

The lead designer stated that “Our target is to delete all the screens in our future interiors. The problem with the screen is when you switch off your screen, you’re just left with a rectangular black surface with all the fingerprints. It’s not very sexy; it’s not very luxury.” He further added, “It’s a big trend at the moment to have [a lot of] screens, but I think it’s a little bit stupid, because in fact to have not any more dashboard, only a big screen, isn’t our philosophy inside DS.”

Métroz also stated that DS is investigating whether new technology may replace the now-standard screen, adding that he prefers something “less intrusive” and one that brings “more serenity.” “Of course, we need to deliver the information to the driver,” he continued. “It’s a significant challenge.” Métroz also hinted at future DS models, since the company plans to go all-electric starting in 2024.

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Moving on to other elements of automobiles that will become obsolete, Métroz touched on the subject of front grilles. He expressed that as the company prepares to go all-electric beginning in 2024, the massive grilles that have been industry standard will also need to be reassessed. Designers have “more freedom” in shaping the front of a car since electric motors do not require nearly as much airflow as internal combustion engines. So that leaves a great room for designers to become creative, said the DS design chief.

He stated, “We have a free surface to imagine a new design. It’s an opportunity for us to reinforce the front light signature. [Currently] we’re working only with the headlamps, but now we have the opportunity to design the lights all around the emblem and to create a new light effect on the front end. It’s a very exciting moment for designers.”

In other Stellantis news, the Italian-American conglomerate recently created the “Arena Del Futuro” test track to field test the revolutionary electric charging method of dynamic induction. The company stated that this radically new pilot test track has been built by A35 Brebemi, the direct motorway link between Brescia and Milan, in collaboration with Stellantis and other international partners, public institutions and universities. And it aims to test the idea of
wirelessly charging an EV while constantly moving on the road. The company used a new electric Fiat 500 for the purpose.

The 1,050-meter-long circuit has now been successfully inaugurated and it is powered by a 1 MW electrical output and is located in a private portion of the A35 autostrada near the Chiari Ovest exit. The “Arena del Futuro” is now ready to put the cutting-edge technology used to charge electric vehicles on the circuit to the test.

Via CarScoops

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