Modern car interiors are rapidly morphing into rolling Best Buy showrooms. Whether we like it or not, automakers are obsessed with pixel count. We’ve seen the Volkswagen Passat Pro and its trio of dashboards, and BMW’s head-up display that uses augmented reality to project data directly onto the windshield. However, Ford has decided that instead of physically adding more monitors, it will simply make one screen do the work of two.
The American automaker has filed a patent for a clever bit of tech called the “Dual View Display”. The concept is simple yet slightly sci-fi. A single infotainment unit that shows two completely different images depending on your viewing angle. This means the driver can focus on crucial navigation maps and vehicle data, while the passenger could be streaming a TV show on the very same panel.
The “magic” behind this involves a complex LED setup where each viewing zone has its own dedicated lens matrix. These lenses are angled differently and controlled separately, ensuring the driver remains blissfully unaware of whatever reality TV nonsense is entertaining the passenger. It’s a high-tech solution to driver distraction, though you can still set the screen to show a single, unified image if you actually want to share a moment.
Interestingly, while Ford is doubling down on display tech, a counter-revolution is brewing. Brands like Hyundai, Kia, and Audi have started backpedaling, announcing a glorious return to physical buttons.
A study by WhatCar? earlier this year revealed that 60% of potential buyers are actively discouraged by car interiors dominated by touchscreens. Even more telling, nine out of ten drivers surveyed preferred tactile, physical controls over digging through digital menus to adjust the AC. It seems that while Ford is perfecting the “Dual View” future, the rest of the industry is remembering that sometimes, a simple knob is the ultimate luxury.
