2018 Audi A4 Virtual Cockpit Instrument Cluster – Video
The Audi virtual cockpit is a fully digital instrument cluster with a 12.3-inch TFT screen and a resolution of 1,440 x 540 pixels. It displays exceptionally sharp and highly detailed graphics. Working in the background is a high-performance Tegra 30 chip from Audi’s cooperation partner NVIDIA.
The fully digital display enables a wide range of information to be presented clearly and directly in the driver’s field of view. This includes the classic speed and rpm figures as well as navigation, communication and entertainment information. Indicators are shown at fixed positions along the lower border; they show the outside temperature, time and odometer readings as well as warning and information symbols. The image is refreshed 60 times per second so that the virtual needle of the tachometer tracks smoothly and very precisely. Scrolling operations in lists are based on a physical model that considers such factors as inertia, elasticity and damping.
As with the DIS display in the analog instrument cluster, the driver operates the Audi virtual cockpit from the multifunction steering wheel. He can switch between two different user views by pressing the “View” button. In Infotainment mode, the display is dominated by a central window. It creates a large stage for the navigation map or for lists in the phone, radio and audio areas. In this case, the tachometer and speedometer are displayed as small dial instruments. In the classic view, these instruments are approximately as large as analog instruments, and the center display window is therefore smaller. The S models also have a sport mode, in which the tachometer is located at the center. This is also the case for the RS screen, which is provided in addition to the infotainment and classic views in the RS models. In this view, users can configure additional instruments around the dominant tachometer which show such parameters as torque, power output, tire pressure and g-forces. In keeping with MMI logic, the Audi virtual cockpit modifies the color scheme of the display according to the base menu being used – orange for the Media menu and green for the Phone menu, for instance.