ARCHIVE :: OCTOBER 2002 :: COVER STORY

Driving Force
Roberto Piatti Is Steering
Car Design in a New Direction--
One Without Steering Wheels

By Edward Taylor
Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal

Fast cars are going out of fashion, according to Roberto Piatti.

Name: Roberto Piatti Age: 40 Occupation: Automotive designer Affiliation: Stile Bertone "When we make something, it has to function, to drive and work like a prototype. Otherwise it's not a Bertone."

Mr. Piatti is the managing director of the Italian car design studio Stile Bertone, which gave the world the Lamborghini Countach -- the sports car that became an '80s icon by offering drivers a top speed of 160 miles per hour. But times have changed, Mr. Piatti says. Speed, he says, is becoming less attractive, especially in Europe, because of stricter enforcement of highway laws and higher fuel costs. Now, he says, comfort is key. Since people are commuting longer distances, he explains, they spend hours, rather than minutes, behind the wheel each day, and often use that time to catch up on work by cellphone or e-mail. So they want a comfortable ride, a car that's easy and intuitive to control, and high-tech extras like improved sound systems.

To achieve that, Mr. Piatti hasn't just built a more-comfortable version of current vehicles. Instead, he's scrapped some of the foundation design concepts in modern cars-including the dashboard and floor pedals-to maximize interior space and allow for striking features like surround-sound stereo systems.

"We've already built a car that goes fast," says Mr. Piatti, who also lectures in industrial design at Turin Polytechnic University. "But my students want to write e-mail, send messages and listen to music much more than they want to go fast."

Drive by Wire

As head of Stile Bertone, an independent design house that has made prototype vehicles for large car makers since 1912, the 40-year-old Mr. Piatti is at the forefront of changing the way cars are built, the way they drive and the way they look. He and his colleagues have set out their vision of the future on wheels in the form of the Filo and Novanta concept cars, presented in 2001 and 2002. These cars replace many mechanical and hydraulic components in steering, braking and throttle systems with electronics-a technology known as drive-by-wire.

In ordinary cars, the links between the steering wheel and the wheels, as well as the pedals and brakes, are fixed mechanical pulleys and wires. To make them work, the driver must affect them physically-by stomping on the brake, for example, or by twisting the steering wheel. In drive-by-wire vehicles, these links are replaced with flexible, lightweight cables, which transmit instructions from the driver electronically rather than mechanically.

Because the mechanical link between the controls and the wheels is no longer necessary, "you can change the fixed position between pedals and a steering column, an integral part of cabin design for the past 70 years," Mr. Piatti says.

So, when you open the door of the Filo or Novanta, you won't see a steering wheel or pedals. The floor well is entirely empty; a driver can take off his or her shoes and relax for travel. And because there's no steering column, the dashboard is recessed, creating more cabin space. A luminous strip runs down the middle of the vehicle to display information from driving, navigation, audio and climate-control systems. "We seek to maximize the benefits a new technology can offer," Mr. Piatti says. "No pedals or steering column means easier access for passengers."

How, then, do you control the vehicle? When the driver's door shuts, a steering wheel hidden in the door panel swings out at the driver from shoulder height. The brakes and accelerator are located in handgrips on the wheel itself, similar to a motorcycle's controls. The driver brakes by tightening his or her grip on the wheel, and accelerates by twisting the handgrips.

Electronic technology also allows drivers to replicate some of their car's features in another vehicle. Drivers of the Novanta, for example, can store their favorite settings for the audio system, air conditioning and seat position on a special Nokia cellphone-and then dock the phone into another Novanta's steering column to transfer those settings over.

Working Concepts

The cars, Mr. Piatti says, are raising eyebrows among auto makers-not just because of their design, but because they can be driven. Many of the concept vehicles shown at auto shows don't work but serve to explore a new shape or design. "When we make something, it has to function, to drive and work like a prototype," says Mr. Piatti. "Otherwise it's not a Bertone."

The Filo and Novanta are constantly evolving. Whenever he can, Mr. Piatti approaches companies that can lend technologies to the prototypes. "That's how we got companies like Nokia involved," Mr. Piatti says. Bertone is working with Michelin on new tires for the Novanta and with Technogel Italia to make new seating material made from gel, as well as developing a fingerprint-recognition system to replace keys on the doors and ignition.

One of the partners Mr. Piatti brought on board is Bose, to create a surround-sound speaker system in the car that would produce acoustics similar to home systems. The Novanta and Filo presented challenges the engineers had never faced before. The usual areas for housing car speakers-doors and the dashboard-were needed to store electronics for the steering.

So the speakers for the audio system were integrated into the vehicle pillars and the ceiling; the display strip that runs down the center of the car has a subwoofer.

For Mr. Piatti, paying attention to entertainment systems and other areas of driver comfort is eminently practical. "Spending time in a sports car is like moving into a house with a low ceiling and small windows, it's an oppressive environment," he says. "Who wants that every day?"