This note refers only to Human Machine Interface Devices and Ambient Lighting for automotive interiors.
Recently had an opportunity to review a mid-level luxury car. It is still surprising to see gap in application of innovations in Human Machine Interface, Interior Lighting and Displays in automotive – even luxury cars.
Standard time gap between identification of innovation and application is 4+ years for automotive, against 6 months for consumer. Complexity in imbedding innovations and time to implement are two reasons why consumer innovation will always be years ahead of automotive.
Quality and Safety is highlighted as another reason. However, there are many interior applications where quality and finish has little to do with reliability. In addition, quality and safety is just as important in other applications for consumers in electrical, toys, children’s garments, etc.
Quality and Reliability is always assumed a given in any product design. However, designing applications to exceed customer expectations must always be a given in all products, especially automotive interiors.
Below are examples where the design is acceptable and this offers limited to no real difference between these are that offered by other luxury / high end cars. So where is the advantage!
Next steps must be for automotive to think outside their core competence and look at consumer wants more broadly. Entry of non-automotive consumer based companies entering the market like, Google & Apple, will only intensify the pressure to meet consumer demands.
Also entry of UBER and potentially self-driving cars is further changing the landscape.
Through HMI and other interfaces there is also need for vehicle personalization to provide better value to the driver 
and passengers. Offering customers vehicle personalization options on area that is neglected by North American OE’s in derive to achieve complexity and cost reduction.
Really believe it is time that innovation dedicated to enhance customer experience become a fast to market focus for OE’s and their suppliers. The market waits for no one.
Why does there have to be such a huge divergence between industrial design and application.
