142 GQ.COM.AU SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017CARS
I
t may make HSV-jacketed
old men weep, but it’s true- the future of driving
is clearly not going to
involve much driving
at all. But when the
inevitable autonomy arrives and
the steering wheel goes the way
of the cassette player, what will
cars look and feel like?
Happily, the answer from
car companies, who’ve already
been working feverishly on this
eventuality for years, is that it
will be a lot like flying business
class, or, if you can afford a really
high-end vehicle, even first.
This shift towards cosseting
and entertaining all of the car’s
occupants equally, rather than
focusing on the driver, will turn
the design world not just upside
down, but inside out, according
to Laura Robin, director of the
BMW Designworks LA Studio.
“The interior design of the
vehicle is going to have a stronger
influence on the proportions than
before, design from the inside
out, if you like,” she says.
GQ recently strapped on some
designer specs and natty braces
for a visit to BMW Designworks,
a high-tech, highly slick campus
of trendy imagineers dedicated
to working on non-car-related
projects since 1972, and which
now employs 135 people from
14 different countries.
Laurenz Schaffer showed us
the new first class cabins his
team had created for Singapore
Airlines, partly because it’s
a paying job for his company,
but also because BMW knows
that the crossover between flying
and car travel is very much the
way of the near future.
“I think we’ll have fully
automated cars on the road by2025, with the steering wheel
gone, and it will be very much
like a flying experience, which is
why it helps to work with planes
now,” explained Schaffer.
“We’re already working on
customer scenarios; what will
people do in those two hours
a day they used to spend driving?
What will they consume, who
will provide the content and
how will we be able to profit share
with people who provide it?”
Designworks has recently
taken its collaborative learnings
back into the car world, with the
unveiling of its BMW ‘i Inside
Future’ sculpture at this year’s
CES (Consumer Electronics
Show) in Las Vegas.
Viewed from above, you can
see the airline influence, with
the cockpit becoming more
like a living room with separate
zones for passengers to do asthey please. The open, airy
cabin is packed with futuristic
technology, including the Star
War s-sounding ‘HoloActive
Touch’ interface, yet it’s
not overwhelming.
“The concept was designed to
answer such questions as ‘when
cars drive themselves where does
that leave the driver?’ and ‘how
will the interior geometry change
when the focus is no longer the
steering wheel?’” explains Robin.
“We also wanted to challenge
some of the takes we have seen
on future mobility that paint
a rather cold, sterile environment
and look towards humanising
the design.
“In aviation we’re seeing
furniture-like geometry,
somewhat borrowed from
aircraft lounges, with natural
materials projecting more of
a ‘living environment’ comingFUTURE
DESIGNS
WE H E A D F OR
B MB MWW’ S L O’ S L OS S
A NA NGGE L E S E L E S
D E S I GD E S I GNNWWOOR K S R K S
S T US T UD I OD I O – T O – T O S E E S E E
T H E I NT H E I NF L UF L UE NE NCCE E
OOF A I R L I NF A I R L I NE E
C A B I NC A B I NS OS ON N
T H E D R I VT H E D R I VI NI NG G
OOF T OF T OMMOOR R OR R OWW, ,
A NA ND L E A R N D L E A R N
T H AT F UT H AT F UL LY L LY
A UA UT OT ONNOOMMOOUUS S
VVE H I CE H I CL E S A R E L E S A R E
OONNLY F I VLY F I VE E
Y E A R S A WY E A R S A WAY.AY.WORDS: STEPHEN CORBY.