Volkswagen has offered visitors to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas a glimpse of the dashboard of the future with the unveiling of its new five-door Golf R Touch.
The production-based concept showcases ideas that Volkswagen's design team is currently pursuing for the dashboard architecture of future models. The program is intended to dispense with traditional controls and bring the operating experience more into line with that of modern day electronic items such as smartphones and tablets.
Fitted with three separate display units set within a modified version of the standard Golf R’s dashboard, the US-specification 292bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol-engined hatchback showcases a combination of both gesture and touch controls.
VW says the concept is aimed at providing safer and more intuitive controls while also providing the scope for added personalisation through a wider combination of colours and graphics.
Included is a 12.8-inch high-resolution touchscreen which is mounted in the upper part of the centre console and is used to control the multimedia system. Underneath it is an 8.0-inch display with haptic feedback that houses controls for the vehicle settings, air conditioning and ancillary functions.
Also featured on the Golf R Touch is a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, dubbed Active Info Display by Volkswagen, in similar in style to that offered as an option on the new Passat.
A further highlight is a gesture control unit that uses a 3D camera mounted within the roof lining. When the driver touches the roof the digital controls for the sunroof appear in the main 12.8-inch display.
A simple hand movement from front to rear then serves to open to the sunroof, while a reverse hand movement from rear to front then sees the sunroof close.
A similar gesture control also provides adjustment of the seats. When your hand runs along the side of the seat, the adjustment controls appear in the upper central monitor, allowing the driver and front seat passenger to alter their seating position via the digital display.
As part of Volkswagen's efforts to provide greater personalisation possibilities in future models, its designers have provided the Golf R Touch with an extensive choice of displays and colour schemes, including a welcome display when it is opened and started and a shut down display when the car is switched off. The ambient lighting is claimed to provide the scope for no less than 16.7 million different colour combinations.
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