It has been said on this very website that big, dominating infotainment screens are terrible, ugly and a pain in the ass. They effectively block your view and the design is usually lazy: stuck on top of everything like an afterthought. Mazda is sick of this shit.
During the Tokyo Motor Show a few weeks ago, Mazda unveiled the stunning Vision Coupe Concept, which blew us away with its looks. And inside, you’ll notice it’s conspicuously free of a large screen. This, according to The Verge, is because Mazda wants to keep its drivers first, displays second:
“In recent times, car interiors have come to be dominated by large displays. Although considerable amounts of information need to be supplied to the person operating the car, these screens can easily become a barrier that blocks the driver’s view.”
Mazda says, “a car and driver should have a bond like that seen between a horse and its rider,” referring to a philosophy called Jinba-ittai.
Though it’s not clear what Mazda’s plans are for the Vision Coupe Concept, elements of the design will most likely make it to future Mazda3 and Mazda6 models.
The concept’s interior looks spartan and oddly blank at first pass, but I realize it’s because I’m so used to seeing cluttered dashboards and consoles that simple is now abnormal to me. Shit.