Without engines to accommodate, designers are rethinking what a car can look like — and what it should feel like to be inside one.

Across the conversations behind this story, one theme kept returning: the most lasting changes tend to be the least dramatic. They are built gradually, by people paying close attention to what is already in front of them.

Designing for a different kind of journey

As drivetrains shrink and software grows, the shape of a vehicle is no longer dictated by what sits under the bonnet. Interiors are becoming calmer, more open, and closer to a room than a cockpit.

The challenge now is emotional as much as technical: how to make something new feel familiar enough to trust, and distinctive enough to want.