Nissan explains thinking behind Ariya SUV’s curved dashboard display

Many electric car concepts take their cue from modern EV pioneer Tesla, which made the in-built touchscreen interfaces in cars, in the form of a large tablet, popular when it introduced its premium Model S electric sedan.

But Nissan, which beat the Tesla Model S to market by two years with its all-electric Leaf hatchback, has opted instead with its Ariya SUV concept to take a different tack. But like Tesla, and its new Model 3, it is thinking differently about where the controls and visuals should be located, and how they are accessed.

The Ariya concept is has unveiled for a new range of electric SUVs offers a gently curved display that lightly hugs the side of the steering wheel to offer the driver’s eye an easy glance, but avoids the large tablet format favoured by Tesla.

“The human eye naturally looks from side to side when driving,” said senior manager of Nissan’s HMI (Human Machine Interface) engineering team Tomomichi Uekuri in a statement from Nissan regarding the decision.

“People can see and absorb more information if it’s laid out horizontally. Peripheral vision works this way as well.”

Integrated into the wide and expansive dashboard, the display embodies a concept Nissan has named engawa, or, “the undefined space between where you are, and where you are going,” literally translated as the strip that runs around the outside of a Japanese room or building.

The display is made up of two screens that runs from behind the steering wheel to the centre of the dash. Located behind the steering wheel is typical driving information such as odometer, battery state of charge and so on. To the centre are entertainment and comfort controls as well as system status.

Furthermore, the display can be customised by swiping widgets from one to the other, says Uekuri.

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