Dashboards Are Latest Hub Of Auto-Design Renaissance explains that “in an increasingly crowded market, designers are under more pressure to make cars stand out,” and moving the dashboard gauges is one way to do that:
The Saturn division of General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Corp.’s new Scion youth division and Nissan Motor Co. are all rolling out vehicles with interior designs that move the dashboard gauges out of their traditional box behind the steering wheel toward the center of the dashboard.
What kind of usability studies are they doing?