Chrysler EVs’ new ‘Harmony in Motion’ infotainment built on 37.2-inch screen

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We have seen the future of Chrysler interiors, and it appears the focus is on huge infotainment screens. We’re talking 37.2 inches of black glass touchscreen, if today’s CES unveiling of its Synthesis demonstrator is anything to go by. Oh, there is, if you adhere to Stellantis’ press information, a lot more to its new Advanced Technology for Real Life than just a giant touchscreen — apps including STLA Brain, STLA Smart Cockpit, and STLA AutoDrive Level 3 autonomous driving — but, in the end, all the Harmony in Motion the company is bragging about creating is a giant TV/videogame/entertainment screen to keep you occupied while the car drives itself.

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In fact, one of the prime functionalities of Advanced Technology for Real Life are the Chill, Zen, and Fun modes which offer meditation, karaoke, and DJ games to the in-car experience. The Synthesis demonstrator will also feature something Stellantis calls Music Experience, which allows customers to create and synthesize their own music. Hopefully, they’re not driving while getting their Drake on.

It’s won’t be all fun and games. In fact, something called MyDay looks to be the ultimate organizer, your car now able to sync multiple streams of information, including calendars and schedules, vehicle status info such as charge status, home smart-tech features, and even the weather to help map out an intelligent trip plan for the day. Cue car-as-harpy comments.

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Advanced AI, meanwhile, will continually improve the user interface over time and can, says Chrysler, even “learn” owner preferences. There are also over-the-air (OTA) updates that automatically download content and enhancements to keep the vehicle fresh, exciting, and capable during each day of ownership. Presumably, this means that your infotainment system — that Harmony in Motion displayed on that huge 37.2-inch screen — is in constant development.

In other words, that Brain and Smart Cockpit will continuously evolve and improve as it ages. I’d say it would be necessary to ward off the boredom of not driving, but that would downplay the true advancement of a constantly evolving infotainment system.

All of this will be housed in an interior that will be as modern as the bits and bytes it houses. Totally sustainable and proudly chrome-free, the Synthesis display features a pair of vegetable-tanned suspended seats wrapped with an arctic upcycled soft trim all made with upcycled materials. I didn’t know what “upcycled” was either, but it appears that’s the new buzzword for materials that have been upscaled — as in simple plastic bottles embellished into, say, high-tech seat materials.

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The instrument panel, meanwhile, is recycled mélange heather. Okay, so I didn’t know what that is either, but the Advertising Specialty Institute says it’s “dyed and undyed fibers weaved together inconsistently, resulting in a unique, eye-catching pattern,” in this case made of 100-per-cent post-industrial plastics and ocean plastics. The flooring, meanwhile, is actually a natural fibre, namely walnut, but this, too, is “responsibly sourced.” Yes, besides being high-tech, it would appear that future Chrysler BEVs will also be woke.

All of this, of course, fits in with the sleek look of the 402-horsepower Airflow Concept that Chrysler unveiled at last year’s CES. That car, says Chrysler, along with this interior, represents its future design direction as it heads a full battery-electric portfolio by 2028.

As Chrysler sees it, the future is no longer about simply moving from point A to B, it’s about creating a “seamlessly connected hub that brings the customer’s digital lifestyle into the vehicle to reinvent every aspect of the mobility experience.” For those who see the automobile as mere adjunct to their digital world — albeit on four wheels — Chrysler’s Synthesis display at this year’s CES is another look into our future. For better or for worse.