Taken from C&G

Now I know these are just concept pictures of what may be coming, but still if GM were putting out interiors w/ this type of tech in the near future I can see them definitely changing perceptions.

Center stacks




Gauges and bezels




Key fob proposal

 

Now I am going to speculate on what is what.

I think the first two are planned updates coming to models soon (likely Lambda and the Malibu/Aura).

I definitely think the third is the Caddy BRX.

Then it would be Chevy LCD gauges w/ a default plastic overlay.
The next is Pontiac (duh!).
And finally Caddy.

I kinda wonder how soon before manufacturers start using LCD screens for gauges instead of actual plastic gauges.

 

Hasn't this already been tried throughout the 80's and 90's with no success? I know digital speedometers always remind me of 80's tech.

Besides, my '91 Jimmy has an all-digital IP and the speedometer/odometer displays haven't worked in years. Seemed to be a common problem.

 

Isn't this a little like saying Cadillac tried cylinder de-activation back in the ?? and it didn't work?

 

Yeah, it is. But digital IPs also went away because people simply didn't like them. If they can come up with a good way to block sunlight from completely drowning out the display, that would be a good first step.

Those IPs look really cool, but I think I'd just as soon look at traditional sweeping guages.

 

Mercedes currently uses a screen in the IC instead of a conventional speedometer in the S-class. When driving you don't really notice a difference. It took me a while of driving my mom's S550 before I noticed it.

There are some pictures of the IC here: http://www.familycar.com/RoadTests/MercedesS550/

 

No not even the same.

It would be a LCD screen display in the cluster like this



That could also display a speedo or other guages. Like this

 

My Berlinetta has a digital dash and I love it... never had a problem and never had a problem seeing it in any light condition...

 

Guys this


Or this


Does not equal this

 

My only requirement would be that the response time on the lcd must be good (8ms or less). I don't want to see the needle jumping around or lagging. Other than that, let her rip...

 

no such problems with the S550, but of course it does cost more than the typical car

 

Those are some really cool concepts, although I don't care for the non-Caddy IPs.

 

Hey, guys. Just wanted to add a bit of mystery to those images - they're no longer posted on GM's media site.

I remember an interview or article regarding some of GM's future design elements and one designer (maybe Welburn?) mentioned that the current black-tie radios are but a stepping stone between the clunky units of yore and the fully-integrated displays to come. Black-ties were thrown in everything GM makes because they're honestly damn nice units for pop-ins with smooth button action, weighted dials, and all the goofy nuances magazines go ga-ga over. However, they are a stopgap.

91_Z's predicitions seems very probable, especially since the first two would almost seemlessly drop into the spaces occupied by the current units. I wouldn't be surprised to see the 'Epsilon' car stack above appear on a quick AURA MCE before the next generation comes and the first one may appear on the -900 MCEs. The clusters are more far-out, but still seem generally produceable. The Cadillac one shows a near-future committment to full Bluetooth integration, though, so woo for that!

The keyfob is just...genius. It makes the optional LCD superfob available now into a sleek, stylish, and even more functional device. I'm not a fan of Apple generally, but the iPod-esque scroll wheel and menu design is genius for the multiuse data-filled fobs of the future.

"When did you change the oil last, honey?"
"Let me check the fob. Oh, its not due for another 500 miles or three weeks."

I hope to see these in production guise soon, especially the radios as that's something doable right now.

 

Fly, did you notice how different the responses are b/t the boards?

Kinda weird if you ask me.

 

The center stacks are an improvement but still not 'great'.

On the first one the overdone blue neon rings are a bit much to me, and the expanse of untextured black plastic is a bit much. Would look better broken up with some aluminum trim or something...

I do see what looks to be a 4WD button and a console shifter instead of a column shifter - they should have done that on the GMT-900 SUVs, really.

The second center stack looks better, but I'm not a fan of that wood grain. That's probably just a personal preference. Infiniti and Lincoln use a very similar type of wood on a lot of their cars and I dislike it just as much. It looks very fake to me, even if it isn't.

The third center stack definitely looks best to me. The colors are the nicest - leather dash. I like the nav screen setup. Less hints of modularity there.

Though I will say all three are a nice improvement over the center stacks seen from new GM designs as little as 3-4 years ago. I think the CTS is the first GM center stack I've seen that really proved to me that they care about interiors.

The center stack on the GMT-900 trucks is the one place I feel that they cheaped out... they nailed it everywhere but there IMO.

As far as those LCD screen gauges go - definitely very very nice so long as they make sure they don't get washed out by the sun or have any ghosting issues, and make sure that they don't cost an arm and a leg to replace if they break. I've been wondering why this wasn't done sooner, obviously. It's the obvious place for LCD screens in cars IMO since there's no need for tactile feedback and the options for customization are endless. Use the same basic gauge setup for almost all GM vehicles and then just go from there customizing the way it looks. Heck, maybe even give nerds a back end interface to let them tweak what's shown on the screen and how it looks.