The French luxury car brand DS has shown off a new concept, not of an entire car (or even a complete car, ahem) but of an interior. This is the DS M.I. 21, essentially a manifesto for the future of the brand's cabin designs.
Full-width screen
The M.I. 21 concept interior is being shown off at the Révélations show in Paris - a biennial craft and design show - and while there are some features you might expect, there are also a few you might not...
The expected bit is the giant digital screen which forms the interface between the car and its human occupants. For the M.I 21 concept, the screen stretches the full width of the dashboard. Note, this is not like the Mercedes-Benz 'Hyperscreen' setup, which is actually three discrete screens under a single glass cover - the DS setup is one massive screen, but it's a very different kind of screen. Following on from the satin-cotton projection screen of the 2020 DS Aero Sport Lounge concept, the M.I. 21 uses a projection screen which, at the flick of a button, can be made opaque or clear, allowing you to use it as a screen or make it transparent to reveal materials and designs behind it. The system is controlled by voice or a remote control system located in the central armrest.
The M.I. 21's sound system is interesting, too, as instead of speakers in the doors, the acoustic system has been gathered into a single central speaker setup. Not only can this speaker mount itself be styled to form some kind of interesting interior feature, but it also frees up space in the door panels which, at least according to DS' interior designers, could be used to display a piece of art that is unique to the car. In the concept, the speaker has been replaced by a large circular design, which looks like part-jet turbine, part exotic sea-shell.
Art in the doors
Those door circles are also part of the car's cabin lighting system, which DS says can: "give lightness to the features and bring a new dimension to the materials," claiming that: "it will become a key contributor to the in-car sensory experience."
While all of this sounds a touch - dare we say it - arty-farty, there are more tangible benefits, such as improved interior space. With a flat floor and the dashboard moved further forward, there's more room for the passengers, and DS says that the glass area of the cabin has been increased to allow more light in and a better view out.
Speaking at the reveal of the M.I. 21 concept, DS' design director Thierry Metroz, said that the ideas featured in the cabin are all production-ready: "As it is an internal research tool, our teams use it to unleash their creativity while integrating the fact that most of the elements must be able to be put into production. And this is where the big difference lies with a concept car that remains barely, if at all, capable of being manufactured." "The M.I. 21 manifesto that we are showing at Révélations is important to the history of our brand. It underlines an approach of openness on our part. We are sharing our creative process and vision with a wide audience of connoisseurs, as much in the automotive world as in the world of craft. We are experiencing a historic transformation of automotive interiors. New architectures related to electric platforms, autonomous driving modes, the arrival of artificial intelligence and, most importantly, the desire of our customers to live a different experience are central to our thinking. The M.I. 21 manifesto illustrates these profound changes, an opportunity for us to share a unique vision of the French art of travel."
Design studio website
If you'd like to learn more, DS is - virtually - opening the doors of its design studios with the launch of the DS Design Studio.Paris website. "We want to take more of the general public behind the scenes, like a chef would invite his clientele into the kitchen. Our first motivation is to share our passion with visitors to the site, who only see a part of our designs in our showrooms and occasionally at shows. We want to explain to as many people as possible the genesis of the design of our concept cars and production models. In the Lab section of the DS Design Studio.Paris website, visitors will discover some designs they won't be expecting to see from a car design centre," said Metroz.