Alfa Romeo annoyed by displays in cockpits. “Let’s get rid of the screens!” Knobs, levers, and… hidden displays

Alexandro Mesonero-Romanos, Alfa Romeo’s chief designer, believes the trend toward large displays in cockpits is causing manufacturers to design car dashboards around screens rather than focusing on the driver’s needs. This has stifled creativity, so in an interview with Autocar, Mesonero-Romanos suggests getting rid of the large glass panels around the driver. In the brand’s latest concept, the Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso, there are at most two displays, with the rest handled using knobs, levers, or sliders. In a sense…

Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso. A sign that it’s been overdone. Or that not everyone is keeping up.

The Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso is only a concept, but designing it involved sticking to the brand’s new direction: Bellezza Necessaria (Polish for Necessary Beauty). It is a gasoline-powered vehicle (V6 biturbo) and could represent a loud protest against modernity, exemplified by electrified powertrains, were it not for the battery onboard, which provides an additional 350 kW/476 HP of power.

The same moderate and restrained opposition to new trends can be seen inside the vehicle (source). The rectangular central screen was removed, but replaced with one or two large circular displays serving as gauges, while the steering wheel and central tunnel were given lighting capabilities. In this rounded environment, a square central screen would indeed look out of place, yet almost all the classic control mechanisms shown in the illustrations use the same software that would display buttons on a screen in another modern car:

The two gauges behind the steering wheel could merge into one

The display even includes the central tunnel (illustrated above and below), which lights up when needed. Nissan used a similar approach in the Ariya (buttons under the central screen). In other words, Alfa Romeo’s lead designer is NOT opposed to using light for driver communication; they are only resisting a rectangular console in the center of the cockpit (source). This is especially true since manufacturers are competing by increasing screen sizes, making these “televisions” increasingly intrusive. Alfa Romeo is trying to break away from this trend by advocating for the use of physical controls:

A note from Elektrowozu’s editorial team: Alfa Romeo’s reaction is somewhat delayed. While virtually all brands have followed Tesla’s lead with central screens, the more innovative ones are gradually teaching cars to be more autonomous. Some electric vehicles can adjust climate controls and seat heating based on weather conditions and the driver’s needs, eliminating the need to search for relevant options on the central display.

Conceptual Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso

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