‘Hands on steering wheel and eyes ahead’ is the advice given for safer driving. At the same time, the driver also needs to be aware of what’s happening with important functions of the car and also the road speed. This means that the instrument panel needs to be situated in a way that allows the driver to look at meters without taking the eyes off the road ahead.
Traditional instrument panel designs have thus been a compromise. Set just below the windscreen, the driver has to momentarily switch his view to the display. Head-up displays (HUDs) – an idea taken from fighter jets – allow seeing important information projected on the glass ahead but the feature is still expensive.
Mimicking the HUD
In 2010, Peugeot introduced an idea that mimicked the HUD but had the instrument display still within the dashboard architecture. This was the i-COCKPIT which was shown in the SR1 concept car and then in a production model (the 208) in 2012.
The layout came to be used in other models and evolved further. A couple of years ago, working with Visteon, Peugeot Design even came out with the industry’s first 3D digital cluster displaying holographic objects.
Going panoramic
Now, 13 years after the original i-COCKPIT, Peugeot is introducing a major advancement to the layout with the new Panoramic i-COCKPIT. This new generation display features a wide 21-inch high-definition curved panoramic screen floating above the dashboard screen that groups together the ‘HUD’ and central touchscreen.
The novel architecture has the panoramic screen mounted high up on the dashboard with a fixing system that is invisible from the passenger compartment. This layout improves accessibility to the touchscreen and visibility of the information displayed on the panoramic screen.
The Panoramic i-COCKPIT also has a new compact steering wheel and i-Toggles, both important elements in the original concept. The i-Toggles are touch-sensitive buttons that can be programmed to provide rapid access to 10 of the driver’s favourite functions
Debut in September
The Panoramic i-COCKPIT, along with other new features, will make its first appearance in the all-new 3008 to be unveiled in September.
To know more about Peugeot vehicles in Malaysia, visit www.peugeot.com.my.