Thierry Métroz, the chief designer for France’s DS Automobiles, said recently that touchscreens don’t belong on the inside of his brand’s vehicles. His team is looking to “revolutionize” vehicle interiors to make them more luxurious.
“Our target is to delete all the screens in our future interiors,” Métroz told Autocar. “The problem with the screen is when you switch off your screen, you’re just left with a rectangular black surface with all the fingerprints. It’s not very sexy; it’s not very luxury.”
The designer stands starkly opposed to current design trends that have even seen entire dashboards transformed into screens, such as in the Mercedes EQS thanks to its Hyperscreen. Métroz is not dissuaded by how common they are becoming in the automotive industry, though.
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“It’s a big trend at the moment to have [a lot of] screens, but I think it’s a little bit stupid, because in fact to have not any more dashboard, only a big screen, isn’t our philosophy inside DS,” he said.
The designer admits that finding a way to deliver all of that information to users without the use of a touchscreen is “a big challenge,” but he says that he and his team are looking for something “less intrusive” that adds “more serenity” to the space.
And touchscreens aren’t the only modern trend that Métroz said is on its way out. As the brand looks to become all-electric starting in 2024, the large grilles that have become common in the industry will also need to be reconsidered. Since electric motors don’t need nearly as much air flow as internal combustion engines, designers have “more freedom” in how they shape the front of a vehicle.
“We have a free surface to imagine a new design,” he said, echoing similar ideas espoused by Hyundai’s chief designer. “It’s an opportunity for us to reinforce the front light signature. [Currently] we’re working only with the headlamps, but now we have the opportunity to design the lights all around the emblem and to create a new light effect on the front end. It’s a very exciting moment for designers.”
