Automotive design for the 21st century
I noted with interest today that the Geneva Motor Show is under way, and there are a few attention-grabbing items in amongst the chunks of iron and turtlewax.
Nissan has come up with some weird rotating “pod” type thing that will apparently make “urban driving easier”, and Opel has had the chamois out and put a lovely shine on the new Opel GT, but I can’t help wondering where the real innovation is.
As someone who is more regularly found on two wheels rather than four, I have been struck by the need for enhancements to the luxury saloon car market.
From recent experience, both on my bike and in the car, it seems that manufacturers of luxury saloons are confronting their loyal customers with the thorny problem of ever-longer “optional extras” lists.
It has been obvious for some time that BMW lists indicators as an extra, as many of their cars seem to be either devoid of this functionality or the drivers are unaware of how to use this particular bonus feature.
It also appears that mirrors (other than ones in the sun visors for checking your make-up) are optional extras on the BMW X5. Either that, or the drivers are once more unaware of how to use them.
Now I know that automotive design isn’t my particular field of expertise, but here’s my humble suggestion: -
All luxury saloons should be fitted with an automatic device which engages the indicators as soon as the steering wheel is turned by more than 2 degrees from centre.
This should work really well alongside the auto-cancel feature on the indicators, and would help to alleviate the frustration of other road users when mid-range 3-series beemers pull out unexpectedly in front of them while their driver tries to look like they’re conducting an impromptu board meeting on-the-fly rather than listening to Boston’s “More than a feeling” on their “Best of Driving Rock” compilation CDs.
I’m sorry - did that come across as a bit of a rant?…
Note for BMW drivers - “Indicators” are the little orange lights that you may have noticed on other vehicles. They are positioned roughly near each of the 4 corners of the vehicle, and can be made to blink repeatedly by means of a stalk-mounted switch somewhere in the vicinity of your steering wheel.
This is apparently a useful feature, designed to allow you to signal to other road users that you have just moved your vehicle in a particular direction without warning. It may serve to deter the peasants in the less expensive cars from occupying your coveted space in the middle lane of the otherwise deserted motorway, and the bink-bink-bink noise is only temporary. Just turn up Boston for a minute and it will go away.