KUALA LUMPUR: Hyundai Motor Company is deep into research, on a quest to update their cars' cockpit to increase driver's concentration on the road.
The company is exploring ways to display the vehicles' information and make it easier to access for the drivers without causing a distraction that might need them to take their eyes off the road.
"We are continuously working on new technologies that make our cars perfectly intuitive and user-friendly," said Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre human machine interface senior engineer Regina Kaiser.
Hyundai Motor has conducted a driver distraction study with the Wurzburg Institute for Traffic Science (WIVW) to evaluate the usability of the latest innovations while driving.
According to the Korean carmaker, the new virtual cockpit design was able to meet all requirements of the vehicle safety associations such as the Alliance of Automotive Manufacturers (AAM) and National Highway Traffic Safety Agency (NHTSA).
"All test persons indicated only a slight distraction, which was perceived by them as noticeable but not as strenuous or interfering with the driving task," Hyundai Motor said.
It added that the virtual cockpit has been integrated in an i30 test car.
"We chose the i30 to demonstrate that innovations are not limited to higher-segment vehicles. Hyundai intends to prove that innovations need to be achievable for a broad customer base," said Kaiser.
Hyundai Motor said that the new virtual cockpit is still in the early prototype phase and the company is still working to design the technology that will appear in the final product, while developments are still being made.
"The end of the road has not been reached yet. Hyundai will use the results of the current clinic and integrate them into its future development plans." the Korean carmaker said.
