What struck us when we saw it parked up on a Parisian side-street though, was how the user of this particular Ami had personalized the otherwise quite basic interior. Plugging in you smart phone and bluetooth speaker to perform navigation and entertainment duties is an idea that many people will be familiar with. It's a hand work around for anyone that owns an older car and comes with the added benefit of not having to learn how to use the manufacturer's HMI software when you already know your way intimately around IOS or Android.
It does start to beg the question of what exactly we need all of this built into our car for at all? If we're talking about MaaS, then perhaps all we need is a service app to link us to the vehicle of our choice and integrate with our preferred map apps?
If we're looking at the hardware of the interior, Fiat's Centoventi concept showed some great, simple ideas for plug-in storage features, even suggesting users could 3D print their own pieces.
In these days when we all carry around supercomputers in our pockets, which are increasingly extensions of who we are and what music we like, why not let them do the heavy lifting when it comes to vehicle HMI? And if maintenance and cleanliness are going to be crucial for MaaS, why not create interiors that are simple, hard-wearing and easy to clean? Interiors that we can make our own, just as easily as we would add enamel pins or patches to a denim jacket. Maybe, the future of interior design is just a little bit punk. Unique, raw and held together with safety pins (or plastic fasteners, we're flexible on this one).