EXPLAINED: DRIVER DISPLAYS

INSTRUMENTS AND DISPLAYS ARE GOING TO LOOK VERY DIFFERENT IN ONLY A FEW YEARS. THIS IS HOW

This is the information age, so cars are poised to be even more clever in the way they communicate with the driver

THE DANGERS OF driver distraction are well known, whether it’s the all-too-frequent smartphone in the driver’s hand or simply looking down at the navigation. It only takes a momentary glance away from the road ahead to end in disaster. That’s why tech companies and car makers are developing advanced new display systems that put more essential information right where the driver needs it. Audi’s Virtual Cockpit was the first mainstream, widespread application of a fully digital instrument cluster. Launched in the 2015 TT, the technology has since spread to almost every offering in the four-ring family. Many other manufacturers have followed suit, offering their vehicles the same advantages associated with placing almost limitless information in the driver’s line of sight. But the concept is evolving rapidly to offer even more flexibility, safety and increasingly innovative features. But while even the relatively conventional instrument clusters continue to grow and evolve, so do head-up displays, supplementing the dash with even more easily accessible information. Here’s where vital information displays are heading...