Display Technology

Well, displays will probably have a minimal (if any) affect on reviving profits for the auto industry. The auto industry problems are on a another order of magnitude compared to bling.

Probably the best use of flat displays is to allow model differentiation by using software to create different layouts and keep a common platform.

This will enable marketing to totally screw up the human factors design as it will be very easy for marketing to place form over function.

There will be a few trick things that they can do so that the displays are dynamic and can change based on current environment and vehicle dynamics. However, at first it will be seen as a gimmick and used to wow and excite the customer and provide less tactical advantage to the driver because it is new.

I tend to disagree about the fault indicators. 99.999% of people have no clue about the technical operation of the car. So if a specific component in teh engine fails, what does the owner care? He isn't going to pop the hood and repair it. How many new car owners know where the fuse box or air cleaner is on their car let alone how to service an engine fault?

Bottom line is, the owner only wants to know if he can continue to drive for 3 more months before stopping in for service or if he has to use On-Star to get a tow. Sort of like those people that drive around on space saver spares so long that the tread is worn off.

The biggest danger fornew displays will be the amount of heads-down time in the cockpit. If the designers make them too flashy, then people will be watching everything but what's out the window.

As a pilot I simply need the essential information at my disposal in a fashion that allows me to keep as much heads-up time as I can. Controls and layouts need to be 100% functional and intuitive.

I would welcome a heads-up nav display. It doesn't need to be exotic. Names of streets (current and approaching), distance to go to the next turn, turn warnings, etc. would be fine. Having a blind spot checking system would be helpful, maybe FLIR, too.

However, the single most useful thing that could be added to my car would be a magnetic repulsion system to sling people that continuously ride the left lane into the right lane where they belong (sometimes the ditch is where they really belong).

Those people are my definition of a perpetual motion machine. They just never stop.

A.H. makes excellent points!

As for the undimmable flashing blue bling referred to, you just stepped on my sorest toe! I don't know that younger eyes are all that much better than mine, and that distracting stuff ..... (And you kids get OFF my lawn)

Maybe I'm just an old fart, but I had posted some time ago about nightvision and driving. But the sad fact is some 90% of driving is done under sodium vapor or equal street lighting. Those of us trying to navigate two-lane blacktops in the dark are a tiny minority.

Those of us who would give body parts for night-vision on the windshield are even tinier.

The one possible advantage to LED/LCD dash is they will HAVE to create a common interface to drive it with - and hacking will get easier

Assumptions are questionable at best.

It ain't just designs if your build quality and materials sourcing are second rate.

Car manufacturing efficiency is a nice idea, but again irrelevant if your designs are crap, as you said.

and btw, not all companies have been focused on shaving costs, although, i agree all the detroit automakers have to their great rejection.

The detroit bankrupt thinking customers ranked last in Automotive News/JDPower survey on Innovation with their suppliers. So you are beating a dead horse with this line of reasoning.

milo

Hi Milo,

I like your dead horse illustration nd comparison because for Chrysler nd, to a lesser extent, to GM it doesn't really matter anymore. They can now sit down nd try to remember 'Where did I go wrong?'

Just a few weeks ago came across this vehicle www.mega-vehicles.com being exhibited in a shopping center.

After looking at its specs closely, it is so disappointing that the electric car industry is nowhere to over come the obvious obstacles in it's path anytime soon despite a not too bad manufacturer's warranty.

I like your dead horse example and it fits very well with current business model of US auto industries in Detroit.

My high school teacher always explained us a stone thrown up eventually comes down. When we get birth we eventually grow old and die. The community continue to grow if we produce and if we produce for future better what our parent did then the society is young and growing.

Auto industries in Detroit is running on junk box with motor in it which was good model in 40 and 50's but a failed model for 2000 and and for sure is desater for 2009.

We are paying since Detroit never gave birth to new business model which takes care of current issues like gas mileage not saling fuel Cell technology by GM to Japan in hope we will not need this. Car which meets our test.

It seems Obam administration is doing correctly to let die non profitable and non desirable part of GM and Chrysler and give birth to new GM but this eventually needs to be done by GM only

Hope new GM is with new business model to take care of Channing human needs

Masyood

This is exactly why US auto fail. Useless crap before function. It doesn't matter how many fancy display you put in the car. If all you can do is park it on the driveway and look at the fancy display waiting for tow truck to come, its not worth buying.

I wonder if all the DVD player in new cars are for owner to kill time while waiting for a tow.

Now you want your car to give you a "404 O2 sensor singal not found"?

If you're not a technician, a Check engine light is all you need cause thats not much you can do. If you're a technician or hobbyist, you'll have the knowledge to find out why the light is on. Ever heard of an OBDII code reader?

Stop trying to sell consumer stuff they don't want. Make a car that works and works well then consumer will buy.

Okay, time to break in on this.

I agree about the verbosity of car problem reports but do you realize how many software packages have an option of "logging levels" that isn't an option in cars? For instance, most programs that do logging in, usually, three levels: Brief, Normal, and Verbose. Here's how they could be easily adapted for reports about car problems -

Brief: Basic trouble light on dashboard - acceptable for most motorists who either don't care the details or only want / need to know there's a problem.

Normal: A display which gives a notation that there is a problem and where, in relation to the overall car, the problem occurs - acceptable if the owner / driver of the car is a general do-it-yourselfer that prefers to take care of minor issues on their own.

Verbose: A readout or display that indicates there is a problem and gives the operator the option to get a detailed report on the nature of the problem - a preferred option to the select few of us who want to know about every detail on the car. This person usually also has the shop manuals as well as a number of advanced diagnostic tools at home.

As to the lights and displays, why not make these also customizable either through user options after purchase. Also, they could be designed so that they don't need any light during daylight hours with high-visibility coloring and night-vision safe illumination for low light conditions.

Still feel it is more trouble than it is worth.

For the few of us that need/want to know, either buy an OBD II reader or drive to Autozone and let them pull the codes for free.

Modern cars are not something you are going to fix on the road with a simple set of tools. If my car fails, and it is still under manufacture warranty, I just dial a 1-800 number and the problem is solved. At least as best as it can be.

Even with advanced technical knowledge there is virtually no chance you can effect repairs when the engine management system signals a fault, even if you know what the code means. Chances are you need parts of some kind.

I wonder what the percentage is, but I would guess that at least 99.5% of owners will not even attempt a repair if they have a breakdown of a modern car (i.e., one with OBD II or later).

As a manufacture I would be loath to do anything special for a segment of my market that is well under 1%. There simply is not a return on investment nor a profit to be gained by driving a software and hardware team to provide the extra code and parts to do this let alone the maintenance for that code.

In my opinion that is why we don't see this option on any cars.