For years, interior lighting has often been used to ‘add a touch of luxury’ when the rest of the cockpit was still too understated to make a statement. With the CUPRA Raval, we’ve taken an interesting step forward: the lighting no longer merely adorns the cabin; it begins to interact with it.
Those who were with us in Turin earlier this year will no doubt recall what Francesca Sangalli explained about Cupra’s brand philosophy: start with the CMF, then let the exterior and interior tell the rest of the story. Looking at the Raval, we see precisely this approach, but with a rare intensity. We don’t see a decorated cabin. We see an intention.
What interests me about the Raval is the way Cupra handles the UX without adding yet another screen. The 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit, the 12.9-inch central display, the ‘cave’ of the instrument cluster that subtly puts the driver back at the centre, the parametric patterns that capture and diffract light, and above all the Smart Light Next Generation that transforms the lighting into a layer of information between the car and its driver. Add to that seven lighting themes, dynamic projections on the doors and 3D-knitted CUP Bucket seats, and it becomes clear that at Cupra, emotion is the architecture of the product.
Next week in Cologne, Ruben Rodriguez, Head of Xperience Design at SEAT CUPRA, will be speaking precisely about this link between emotion and UX in the context of the Raval. That’s an excellent reason to come and listen to him.
Before continuing this dialogue in Shanghai on 8 and 9 September, then in Detroit on 22 and 23 September, it’s fair to say that the season promises to be packed and frankly stimulating.
Contact Emilie Bonnet or Laurent Sérézat.
Take care,
