The Digital Interior
Software Localisation Quality, Date Formats, and Units
The Issue
On several cars tested, the infotainment software showed signs of incomplete or poor-quality preparation for the UK market. Menu text in some cases read as translated into English without review by a fluent native speaker, producing phrases that were technically understandable but unnatural in their construction. Date formats were displayed in an order other than the UK convention of day, month, then year. Switching all measurement units to UK conventions required locating and adjusting several separate settings rather than being correct from the moment the car started.
Why It Matters
The infotainment system is the interface a driver uses throughout every journey for the entire time they own the car. Language that reads as translated rather than naturally written creates a persistent and daily impression that the product was not made with the UK buyer in mind. Date format errors affect how the driver reads charging schedules, trip history, and service reminders. Unit errors are not merely inconvenient: they require mental conversion at moments when the driver's attention should be elsewhere, and in the case of tyre pressure they can lead a driver to misread a figure that has direct implications for safety and tyre wear.