ALL OF THE FUN, NONE OF THE GUILT

A good car designer combines the skill of an architect with the know-how of specialists in furniture, product, graphic and multimedia design. With expertise in all these areas, he integrates hundreds of components into a few cubic metres, while managing to evoke a sense of space, serenity and safety.

'New cars come equipped with more and more technology, which makes them more and more complex,' says car designer Patrick Lecharpy, the man responsible for interior design at Renault's passenger car division. 'The interior of the car is the interface between user and technology. We try to make it more human and to minimalise visible technology by integrating everything into a single volume.' Renault calls this approach Touch Design, the first features of which appear in the Megane II. Designers placed the handbrake in this car - a lever inspired by the driver's hand and seated position - sideways rather than lengthways. And in creating the doorframe, they aimed for the kind of simplicity and beauty that begs to be touched.

Smaller technical components add up to more space in the interior. The new Renault Espace, for instance, introduces heating and ventilation built into the floor instead of the dashboard. 'The human interface should be as simple as possible. Anything that distracts the driver threatens passenger safety.' It's this viewpoint that has given rise to innovations like automatically activated windscreen wipers.

'Renault's interior designers have a good eye for quality,' says Lecharpy. 'Part of our research deals with how soft or how warm a material feels. It's essential to the automotive experience.' A door handle of injection-moulded plastic with a rubber additive, for example, combines a firm grip with a pleasantly soft surface.

What strikes us about the Talisman, a Renault concept car, are its nearly paper-thin seats, whose cushiony comfort lies in a special blend of polyurethane and gel. Sylph-like seating has made a recent appearance in the furniture industry as well. 'Design triggered that phenomenon,' says Lecharpy. 'Our motive was safety. Earlier seats, which were becoming increasingly larger, meant less space, less overall comfort and even less passenger safety.'

by Paul Schilperoord