Connected car software puts wasted space to use

As automakers look to emulate the digital experiences provided by smartphones, tablets and other consumer electronics devices, empty space on the dashboard has become valuable real estate.

Most new cars already come with a small digital display as standard, often mounted to the centre of the dash. These supplement the main instrument cluster, providing a touchscreen from which navigation and multimedia can be managed. Early iterations were clumsy, unresponsive and often required physical buttons underneath, using fairly basic software and graphics.

As could reasonably be expected, those screens are becoming larger, more functional and seamlessly integrated within the cockpit. For some automakers, displays even sweep across the entire dash from pillar-to-pillar.

The Lucid Air, which