 Body 2
| Maybe one day you'll long for it again. |
The interior is, in principle, even more important than the exterior view; after all, you spend hours, days, and even weeks inside. The car body shell, on the other hand, is barely noticed. Few manufacturers have
approached
the interior of a compact car with such passion as the developers of the new Mini. They knew that, with BMW, they would be moving into a somewhat higher price range and therefore had to offer something
special.
In other cases, however, a refurbished model will classify itself. There's the length of its bigger brother, which you shouldn't get too close to. The wheelbase has recently become a bit more generous; in
extreme cases, it
may even be the same. So, there could be a bit more legroom in the rear. It should be emphasized again that we're working on the basic model here, so later variations such as station wagons, crossovers,
etc. will be
developed from it.
It's already worth considering whether a new dashboard is needed for the entire series, which would then simply be modified. Now the question arises whether the inevitably necessary all-electric variant will
have a new
body with a flat floor, or whether the combustion-engine version will also contain hidden batteries. Then all of them, including a plug-in hybrid, would be scalable and producible in a single line.
What does this have to do with the dashboard? Along with the electric versions, a digital display behind the steering wheel is a must. Does an analog display even make sense for the cheapest versions? And
then the
discussion really begins. Drivers who aren't so tech-savvy will then have to choose digital. Should we also deprive them of the last few quick-access buttons?
What if they get tangled up in the touchscreen, designed by somewhat one-sided programmers, and cause accidents? Is it enough to position them primarily on the steering wheel? Does that guarantee that
drivers will be less distracted? And what about 'Hello Tesla, please open the glove compartment!' Doesn't someone who paid that much money feel a bit ripped off? Because you have to close it manually
anyway.
We'll leave the discussion, not without pointing out another shortcoming: the design and location of the center display. The problem is that it should be positioned relatively high, yet at the same time be integrated into the
dashboard. With such a standalone display sticking out upwards, someone might be tempted to carry it with him or her as a tablet when getting out. Then, the necessarily separate air conditioning controls and the air vents
would fight for space underneath.
The next debate follows immediately. Because cost naturally plays a major role, the focus now is on the proportion of hard plastic. How do we hide a little too much of it? Is piano lacquer acceptable in certain areas? Which
brings us to the center console. One or two smartphones at the same time with cable or without charging? How many additional USB ports? Cup holders here too? What comfort does this offer the rear passengers?
And then the contemplating really begins when it comes to the distribution between standard equipment and optional extras. When will automatic climate control be offered? What does the entry-level model look like?
Finally, we come back to the exterior and determine the surcharges for the two-tone paint job.We've omitted many other surcharges because, first, they're too complex and, second, they're not related to the bodywork.
Many of the discussion results are incorporated into a specification sheet, which is then likely compared one or more times with competitor products. You have fairly precise information about these, either because you
acquired them yourself or commissioned a company that does it more cheaply because they can also make their results available to other competitors. So you know about each other and can use the time that such a
development takes to get an advantage.
What we've still forgotten are the suppliers. Without discussions with them, a new development is unthinkable, as they often produce more than two-thirds of the vehicle. Along with contractually guaranteed confidentiality,
they also provide a wealth of know-how. They naturally take advantage of the situation to present their latest developments to the respective OEM. Customers can then purchase these gradually from various manufacturers.
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