Photo: Volkswagen
It's clear Volkswagen is doing its best to build up the hype around the ID.4 model, which is a bit surprising considering it's just about to launch its smaller sibling, the ID.3.
A focus on the electric hatchback, the first new-age electric vehicle presumably in a series of many, would make a lot more sense at this time. Except Volkswagen knows two things: one, the sheer weight of the brand's name will be enough to make the ID.3 successful in Europe; two, there's plenty of room left to grow for the North American EV market, so that's where the money can be made.
Considering the ID.3 will not make it over to the New World while the ID.4 crossover will, VW's strategy doesn't seem so counter-intuitive anymore. Granted, with the taller model scheduled for debut in the US more than a year from now there was plenty of time to have the spotlights switched on it, but we're pretty sure a company like Volkswagen knows what it's doing so it's not for us to wonder why or imagine we would know better.
Whichever things stand, what we do know is that Volkswagen released an image of the ID.4's cabin, which prompted some notoriously Tesla-biased publications to call it "Tesla-inspired." Why? Well, because it has a horizontal central display and features an overall minimalistic approach, though nowhere near Tesla Model 3's and Y's sparsity.
Let's get one thing straight: prior to 2008, Tesla hadn't made any car. Then, it launched the Roadster, which was a pretty much a Lotus Elise as far as design was concerned, interior included. Its first real car was the Model S whose interior featured a steering wheel, air vents, pedals, an instrument cluster, a central display - the kind of things you would expect to find inside a car. Did people say it copied the rest of the automotive industry? No, because that would have been ridiculous.
Now, Volkswagen revealed the dashboard of the ID.4. Looking at it, you can spot only one similarity with the Model Y's (and with those of pretty much any other modern car, but nevermind that), and that's the central display. However, Volkswagen's is smaller and much better integrated. It also has two strips of physical buttons, something that would make Tesla interior designers shake their heads in disapproval. And we really have no idea what they would do at the sight of the (admittedly tiny and digital) instrument cluster, which is to them like garlic to vampires.
As difficult as it may be for some to accept, not everything revolves around Tesla. Sure, the Model 3 and even the Model S came in a time when Porsche's interiors would have overwhelmed even an experienced airline pilot, but you can't really point the finger at Elon Musk's company and say it is responsible for the reduced number of buttons in a cockpit. That's just the natural progression dictated by technological progress. Remember when phones used to have actual keys? Did Tesla start the all-glass smartphone trend too?
If manufacturers do decide to forego instrument clusters and not have them replaced by head-up displays either, then yes, you can say that was a trend started by Tesla. But since that's an idiotic idea for as long as humans will be the ones doing the driving, we doubt we'll ever see that day. In the meantime, feel free to congratulate the Volkswagen designers for a cockpit that looks clean and futuristic and nothing like Tesla's.
Considering the ID.3 will not make it over to the New World while the ID.4 crossover will, VW's strategy doesn't seem so counter-intuitive anymore. Granted, with the taller model scheduled for debut in the US more than a year from now there was plenty of time to have the spotlights switched on it, but we're pretty sure a company like Volkswagen knows what it's doing so it's not for us to wonder why or imagine we would know better.
Whichever things stand, what we do know is that Volkswagen released an image of the ID.4's cabin, which prompted some notoriously Tesla-biased publications to call it "Tesla-inspired." Why? Well, because it has a horizontal central display and features an overall minimalistic approach, though nowhere near Tesla Model 3's and Y's sparsity.
Let's get one thing straight: prior to 2008, Tesla hadn't made any car. Then, it launched the Roadster, which was a pretty much a Lotus Elise as far as design was concerned, interior included. Its first real car was the Model S whose interior featured a steering wheel, air vents, pedals, an instrument cluster, a central display - the kind of things you would expect to find inside a car. Did people say it copied the rest of the automotive industry? No, because that would have been ridiculous.
Now, Volkswagen revealed the dashboard of the ID.4. Looking at it, you can spot only one similarity with the Model Y's (and with those of pretty much any other modern car, but nevermind that), and that's the central display. However, Volkswagen's is smaller and much better integrated. It also has two strips of physical buttons, something that would make Tesla interior designers shake their heads in disapproval. And we really have no idea what they would do at the sight of the (admittedly tiny and digital) instrument cluster, which is to them like garlic to vampires.
As difficult as it may be for some to accept, not everything revolves around Tesla. Sure, the Model 3 and even the Model S came in a time when Porsche's interiors would have overwhelmed even an experienced airline pilot, but you can't really point the finger at Elon Musk's company and say it is responsible for the reduced number of buttons in a cockpit. That's just the natural progression dictated by technological progress. Remember when phones used to have actual keys? Did Tesla start the all-glass smartphone trend too?
If manufacturers do decide to forego instrument clusters and not have them replaced by head-up displays either, then yes, you can say that was a trend started by Tesla. But since that's an idiotic idea for as long as humans will be the ones doing the driving, we doubt we'll ever see that day. In the meantime, feel free to congratulate the Volkswagen designers for a cockpit that looks clean and futuristic and nothing like Tesla's.
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