2010 Range Rover Gets ‘Virtual’ Instrument Cluster from Visteon

Clear instrument cluster final check at Visteon's Enfield Plant in Enfield, UK

Even if it's working without any profit for the past nine years, filed for bankruptcy at the end of May and recently announcing its plans to delay employee bonuses, automotive part supplier Visteon takes us all by surprise and informs the launching of a new reconfigurable platform on Jaguar Land Rover's new Range Rover.

This ‘virtual’ instrument cluster will come as a standard feature on all derivates in Land Rover’s markets worldwide, integrating multiple functions and operating modes to present on-demand driver information via virtual gauges, graphic displays and a message center, all on the reconfigurable 12.3-inch full color Thin Film Transistor (TFT) display.

"The new display technology used by the 2010 Range Rover is a major advance. It gives us tremendous flexibility in presenting information, so that the driver gets precisely the data he or she requires, in all driving conditions," explains Nick Rogers, Range Rover’s chief engineer, new vehicle architecture.

This is the first production program launched from Visteon's reconfigurable cluster platform and the latest in its range of clusters with graphic displays, offering automakers the flexibility to use one hardware solution with multiple graphic applications.

"Although this high-end cluster initially is designed for the best-in-class comfort and refinement of the Range Rover, Visteon's unique system integration approach is set to make large TFT displays a viable and affordable alternative to conventional clusters," said Steve Meszaros, president of Visteon's electronics product group.

Land Rover and Visteon’s British engineering teams, supported by development teams in the U.S. and software development from Visteon Software Operations, India, and Visteon Software Technologies, France, worked together to develop this reconfigurable cluster platform, with a design destined to efficiently manage the complexity of the increased graphics content and display management.