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Displays that support complex graphics in driver information (DI) systems allow for the presentation of detailed visual data by employing a range of static (fixed image) and/or dynamic (moving image) design approaches. Such displays are gaining market share across a wide range of mainstream vehicles as the availability and cost of such technologies improves. Although a range of 2D, rendered 3D, and 3D imaging (or stereoscopic) information displays have been demonstrated throughout the automotive industry in recent years, there is limited empirical research examining consumer preference of the respective approaches or their influence on driving related tasks. The vehicle environment is known to be a demanding context for efficiently displaying information to the driver. Research in 3D [1, 2] reveals some of the factors that influence its acceptance and effective use, but there is limited research on the effects of 3D-related design elements when used in a driver-vehicle interface.

The vehicle environment is known to be a demanding context for efficiently displaying information to the driver. Research in typography reveals some factors that influence reading performance measures, but there is limited research on the influence of typographic design elements in a driver-vehicle interface on user performance with a simulated driver task. Participants in these studies completed a set of vehicle infotainment tasks that involved a text-based item search in a custom-designed interface that employed a family of Helvetica Neue fonts, in a static environment and a driving simulator environment. Analysis of the data from the two studies reveals a modest but statistically significant effect of font on certain driving-related task performance measures. In both studies, fonts with intermediate values of character width and line thickness were associated with the best performance on a simulated driving task.

The majority of vehicle AC system warranty costs are a result of compressor replacement caused by excessive wear and seizure-related failures. In today's environment, compressor manufacturers can control manufacturing process well and maintain a stable product quality. Thus, compressor durability heavily relies on a durable AC system design. Both vehicle compressor suppliers have a variety of procedures and test methods to evaluate AC system and compressor durability. Often times, we still see very different compressor warranty return rates (one higher, the other lower) for the same compressor from the same production line in similar vehicle AC systems. In many cases, both AC systems passed vehicle and component durability tests. In addition, compressor manufacturing process quality was controlled well. The question remains why is there such different compressor warranty return rates?

Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) refers to a method of displaying information in serial fashion on a display mounted at a fixed focal position relative to the viewer. RSVP is used in cognitive and perceptual psychology research and shows some promise in applications that involve reading text on displays. This preliminary research examines the potential for RSVP as a means of presenting driver information in automotive use cases. We investigated how RSVP influenced subjective impressions, participant recall of information, and the impact of its use while performing a simulated driving task. We describe the results of two studies and discuss future directions for research.

The rapid growth of electronic feature content within the vehicle continues to challenge the automotive industry. Customers want cutting edge consumer electronics features in a vehicle before the features are obsolete. However, automotive manufacturers continue to struggle with introducing new features into vehicles before they become obsolete to the customer. The ability for automotive manufacturers to seamlessly upgrade existing products with new and improved products continues to plague the automotive industry. Vehicles traditionally take 4 plus years to design and manufacture. Automotive manufacturers need to plan consumer electronics features early, but not actually integrate those into the vehicle until late in the design cycle, possibly on the production line. This would help facilitate providing the most recent features.

The rapid growth of vehicle feature content continues to challenge automotive designers. The total vehicle feature content seriously impacts the manufacturing complexity of any single vehicle. Traditional strategies for introducing new features into high-content luxury vehicles before moving the feature into economy vehicles have been undermined by the fast moving consumer electronics field. The challenge for automotive OEM and Tier 1 suppliers is to optimize the vehicle architecture in order to provide more efficient means of introducing features expediently and efficiently. Therefore, any production vehicle's Electrical, Electronic, & Software (EES) architecture must successfully support modular sourcing, modular assembly, global manufacturing schemes, cost and weight issues.