Autonomous driving changes how car interiors are perceived

Raise the subject of autonomous driving at a dinner table, and it may reasonably take some time to reach the topic of CMF.

But as with most megatrends, the shift from ‘driving’ to ‘driven’ will have a significant impact across all design departments. And that includes how colour and trim teams deck out the interior.

Areas of the cabin that were hidden away may now be in full view, and with no requirement to stare at the road ahead the now-passenger will be more aware of their environment in the car. Poor finishes, rough textures or simply a lack of attention to detail will all be more evident.

“I don’t think I've ever been asked about that [by a journalist]” muses Kia’s recently promoted colour and trim VP, Marília Biill. 

Do not assume then that this is a new topic for the Brazilian designer, who speaks to us remotely from the studio in Korea. No, Biill has clearly been thinking about the influence of autonomous driving and what that means for her team and immediately flags a handful of distinct issues.

The first is that a new interior layout – modular, most likely with no steering wheel, more glass, different seating positions etc. – will change how passengers interact with the materials around them both visually and to the touch.

“There are many changes in the shape and the geometry of the car internally and externally that affects the way we do CMF,” Biill says. “When we think about autonomous driving, I believe the biggest change in terms of CMF is the customer perception of the space, and the question of safety. Not everyone will be confident, so there's a wish – or in my perspective, a demand – to create an environment where people will feel safe and comfortable.”

It becomes much more of a home, as cheesy as it can be, so customisation is more important

That may come in the form of a colour palette that calms and immediately signals to the passenger that this is a space for relaxation. One might assume that plush, comfortable seats and gentle lighting will be the aim of the game as opposed to hard, sterile surfaces with bright lights. Once passengers are seated and comfortable – perhaps they have ridden a few times now and no longer worry – then attentions will turn to the quality of the interior and more broadly what they are able to do with that free time. Sleep, work, chat, game? There is an abundance of options (including scrutinising the interior itself.)

“In [normal] cars you have someone focused on driving. If we talk about autonomous car, that changes completely, so what are you doing then, and how can we offer this customer something more?” continues Biill. “If they are not really focussed on driving, they will be doing something else. So how does this environment change around this person? It becomes much more of a home, as cheesy as it can be, so customisation is more important in order to support the variety of things you will be doing during the trip.”

As mentioned at the top of this piece, the fundamental architecture of the interior will inevitably change in an autonomous car. There may be no longer be a conventional front and second row, with rear passengers staring at the back of a headrest and seatback. And with that newfound freedom to explore the interior, if not through physical movement then at least with the eyes, a focus on quality must follow.

“At Kia we’ve been talking a lot about what we call ‘emotional quality’. How soft the surfaces are, and the quality of the materials. If you are not looking to the road, you might be looking to the door, you might be looking to the seat details and you demand much more – you probably want the door to be soft,” says Biill. Throw in the topic of sustainability and it only complicates matters. Or is it less a complication, and more an excuse to start exploring?

Marília Biill joins as an expert speaker at Car Design Dialogues Milan

Join us on 21 April 2026: register here

“With sustainable materials, we decided to search for a nice leather replacement. Our first goal in the past was to find something that was to the same level of durability, quality, touch and feel as real leather, and we achieved that. Now we are looking to one step further that connects to the topic of autonomous driving: how can we do better than leather? What kind of leather replacement can be even softer, feel even nicer and be more sustainable,” concludes Biill, “In effect, I believe it makes the demands on CMF higher, but on the other hand it also gives us the ambition to do nice CMF for people to enjoy during the ride.”