ISO/TR 7997:2025

Technical
Report
ISO/TR 7997
First edition
Road vehicles — Control type and
2025-10
layout of transmission gear shifters
and drive mode selectors
Véhicules routiers — Type de commande et disposition des
sélecteurs de vitesse de transmission et des sélecteurs de mode de
conduite
Reference number
© ISO 2025
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ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 2
3 Terms and definitions . 2
4 Transmission gear shifter: types, layouts, locations and feedback displays . 6
4.1 General .6
4.2 Type of transmission gear shifters .6
4.2.1 Lever .7
4.2.2 Dial/rotary.8
4.2.3 Push button .9
4.2.4 Toggle switch .9
4.2.5 Steering wheel paddle .10
4.3 Layouts of the shifter .10
4.3.1 Alignment of layout .10
4.3.2 Separation of ‘P’ . 12
4.3.3 Summary of the layouts of the shifter . 13
4.4 Location of the shifter inside the vehicle .14
4.5 Feedback displays of drive function status . 15
4.5.1 Feedback display around or on the shifter .16
4.5.2 Feedback display on the instrument cluster .18
5 Drive mode selector: types, layouts, locations and feedback displays .18
5.1 General .18
5.2 Type of drive mode selectors .19
5.2.1 Lever .19
5.2.2 Rotary/dial.19
5.2.3 Push button .21
5.2.4 Toggle switch . 22
5.2.5 Touch screen. 22
5.2.6 Rocker switch . 22
5.2.7 Combination of controls . . 23
5.3 Layout of drive mode selectors . 23
5.4 Location inside the vehicle . 23
5.4.1 Centre console . 23
5.4.2 Seat side . 23
5.4.3 Steering wheel . 23
5.4.4 Instrument panel .24
5.4.5 Instrument cluster .24
5.4.6 Head unit display .24
5.5 Feedback display of drive mode selector status .24
5.5.1 Status feedback displayed in the actuator .24
5.5.2 Feedback on head unit or instrument cluster display . 25
5.6 Categories of drive modes . 25
5.6.1 On-road modes . 26
5.6.2 Off-road modes . 26
Annex A (informative) Benchmarking of transmission gear shifters and drive mode selectors
in various passenger cars .28
Annex B (informative) Benchmarking of transmission gear shifters and drive mode selectors
in commercial vehicles .48
Bibliography .57

iii
Foreword
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iv
Introduction
The operation of road vehicle transmission gear shifters (referred to simply as shifters) results in changes to
vehicle motion: parked, moving rearward, freewheeling (neutral), or moving forward. Drive mode selectors
(referred to as selectors) change the vehicles’ driving characteristics without changing the direction of
motion. Therefore, shifter and selector types, layouts, directions of control motion, locations, and feedback
displays are designed to promote intuitive control usage.
Mechanical transmission gear shifters for manual and automatic transmissions have been industry standards
until recently when electro-mechanical and electronic shifters (e-shifters) were introduced with a range of
novel shifter types, layouts and locations. The concern is that when customers drive unfamiliar or newly
purchased vehicles, novel usage of electronic shifters can be confusing or using it results in misoperations.
Moreover, operation of a transmission gear shifter to make changes to vehicle motion, can be coupled with
the selection of different drive modes. Similar to electronic shifters, current drive mode selectors also
appear in a wide variety of control types, locations, labelling and feedback types. However, unstandardized
naming such as sport, eco, comfort and off-road among others, creates potential for confusion and lack of
understanding the consequences of selecting specific drive modes.
In an effort to reduce or eliminate misoperations of vehicle motion and drive mode controls, this document
presents a state-of-the-art survey, with an analysis of the most common features, as well as trends on control
motion patterns as a function of control type, layout, location, and feedback type, for both transmission gear
shifters and drive mode selectors.

v
Technical Report ISO/TR 7997:2025(en)
Road vehicles — Control type and layout of transmission gear
shifters and drive mode selectors
1 Scope
This document describes the type, layout, location, and feedback display of available electro-mechanical
and electronic transmission gear shifters found in passenger cars (including sport utility vehicles and light
trucks) and in commercial vehicles (including heavy trucks and buses). The transmission gear shifters are
located on the steering column, instrument panel, floor and centre consoles. Specifically, this document
addresses shift by-wire electro-mechanical selectors that adapt the control of vehicle movement according
to road conditions and personal preference. Conventional mechanical shifters are also referenced so
correspondence between traditional linear P, R, N, D, L, M/S control types, layouts, locations and direction
of control motions and electro-mechanical/electronic transmission gear shifters (simply, e-shifters) can be
established.
This document is based on observations and survey results described in Annexes A and B for passenger cars
and commercial vehicles respectively. The results are independent of vehicle propulsion systems and define
the layout, spatial orientation and control movement patterns for the following drive functions:
— drive (D=forward movement),
— reverse (R=rearward movement),
— park (P=stationary),
— neutral (N=freewheeling to allow stationary or forward-reverse without drive functions engaged),
— low (L=remain in low gear),and/or
— manual or sequential (M or S to engage manual drive mode).
The control types of the transmission gear shifters that are within scope of this document are lever (pivot,
slider and gated), dial/rotary, push button and toggle switch. Paddle shifters and ‘automatic-manual shifters’
are not specifically included in the scope. However, they are referenced so that if a transmission gear shifter
has a ‘manual mode’ by which drive gear control is transferred to or shared with the paddle or automatic-
manual transmission it is identified.
This document also identifies control types, location and feedback displays of drive mode selectors. Their
control types within scope are lever, dial/rotary, push button, toggle/rocker switch, touch screen and
steering wheel paddle switches. These are located in the centre console, steering wheel or instrument panel
of the vehicle. Various types of visual, auditory or haptic feedback correspond to display activations, control
positions, and graphical representations in the head-up display, centre console, instrument panel, display
audio or instrument cluster display. This document does not specifically include head-up displays, but it is
foreseeable that graphical representations could appear in future head-up displays.
Leaving the limitations of mechanical shifters means control freedom gets bigger. It is therefore likely that
control types as well as the combination of transmission and brake functions will continue to develop. In
this document, specific details about hybrid or electric drives are excluded. The same is in general valid
for engine brake, auxiliary brake, or regeneration/recuperation programs. However, brake functions are to
some extent still mentioned as part of drive modes found in the surveys. For commercial vehicles, and with
the continued introduction of electric drivelines, these brake programs are likely to get even more related
to different drive modes. It is foreseen that more information can be added at later stage, as separate ISO
documents.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
General locations within the cockpit

3.1.1
centre console
area in the middle of the dashboard that often continues down to meet the transmission tunnel that runs
between the driver and front passenger seats
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 1.
3.1.2
head-up display
information display system that enables the driver to access visual information within a driver's direct field
of view without requiring drivers to move their gaze orientation toward the traditional instrument cluster
(3.1.3) display
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 1.
[SOURCE: ISO/TS 21957:2023, 3.3.1, modified — Notes 1 and 2 to entry were deleted.]
3.1.3
instrument cluster
collection of dials and gauges that typically sits behind the steering wheel, giving the driver a range of
information about the vehicle's status
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 1.
3.1.4
instrument panel
panel on which are mounted an array of dials, lights, and gauges that monitor the performance of a machine
or device, as an airplane or passenger car
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 1.
3.1.5
lower instrument panel
lower region of the instrument panel (3.1.4) that meets the centre console (3.1)
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 1.
3.1.6
seat side
region at the side of a seat where controls or switches can be installed
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 1.

3.1.7
steering column
device intended primarily for connecting the steering wheel to the steering mechanism
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 1.
Key
1 head-up display (3.1.2)
2 instrument cluster (3.1.3)
3 steering column
4 instrument panel (3.1.4)
5 lower instrument panel (3.1.5)
6 centre console (3.1.1)
7 seat side (3.1.6)
NOTE The area designated as the lower instrument panel indicates a vertically structured part located just below
the instrument panel.
Figure 1 — Partial designation of vehicle interior parts
3.2
transmission gear shifter
device that allows the driver to change the vehicle motion, e.g. parked, moving rearward, freewheeling
(neutral) or moving forward
Note 1 to entry: In this document, the transmission gear shifter can be mechanically connected to the transmission
while electric signals are transmitted from the shifter to the motor or transmission, or electric signals are transmitted
from the shifter to the motor or transmission without any mechanical linkage between the shifter and the transmission.
The transmission gear shifter is also, when a manual mode is provided, giving the driver the opportunity to shift gears
upwards or downwards.
Note 2 to entry: Transmission gear shifter has been known in the past as gear shifter, transmission range selector or
even drive mode selector (3.3).

3.3
drive mode selector
device that allows the driver to change the vehicles' driving characteristics to accommodate to road
conditions or personal preference without changing the direction of motion
Note 1 to entry: By selecting a specific drive mode from a small set of available options, the driver alters specific
elements such as steering-wheel torque, propulsion system characteristics, gearbox and suspension settings. Upon
selecting a given drive mode, the changes selected can alter the driving experience.
3.4
Type of transmission gear shifters

3.4.1
automatic transmission shifter
device which selects the transmission’s gear or drive ratio automatically
Note 1 to entry: This means the driver does not have to shift gear as when using a manual transmission.
3.4.2
mechanical shifter
device that is mechanically connected and mechanically selects transmission’s operational states
3.4.3
electro-mechanical shifter
device that is mechanically connected to the transmission, whereas electric signals are transmitted from
the shifter to a motor to change a transmission’s operational state
3.4.4
electronic shifter
e-shifter
device in which electric signals are transmitted from the shifter to the motor or transmission without any
mechanical linkage between the shifter and the transmission
Note 1 to entry: Electronic shifter is also called e-shifter, eTRS, electronic gear shifter, electronic gear selector, drive
selector, or shift by wire.
3.5
Type of transmission gear shifter and drive mode selector controllers

3.5.1
lever
stick-type device that allows fore-aft, side-to-side, or when located on a vertical surface, up-down
movements because the control movement is by fulcrum, slide or minimum radius movements to choose any
drive function/mode
Note 1 to entry: A lever-type controller, also known as a gated-type controller, can move within specified movement
patterns that can be a combination of fore-aft or side-to-side movements to select drive functions.
3.5.2
dial
rotary
control device that rotates counter-clockwise or clockwise when choosing a specific function of transmission
gear shifters (3.2) or a specific mode of drive mode selectors (3.3)
Note 1 to entry: The device can also have one or more push buttons (3.5.3) embedded within the control, and the
control itself can also move longitudinally to select functions/modes or it has a function that operates like a joystick
when moved fore-aft, side-to-side or obliquely for selections.

3.5.3
push button
button consisting of momentary, latching, capacitive or fingertip touch controls used to select vehicle drive
functions/modes
3.5.4
toggle switch
mechanical lever (3.5.1) or handle actuated by moving the lever or handle fore-aft or side-to-side
Note 1 to entry: The stationary position of the lever or handle indicates the current state of the actuator.
3.5.5
rocker switch
button that can be pressed on either end like a seesaw to go through available drive functions or modes
Note 1 to entry: A rocker switch can be a continuous function control if a continuous press results in sustained function
change. A rocker switch can also be a discrete controller whereas a push to either side of the switch chooses a discrete
function, such that each side of the rocker switch selects different single state functions like ON/OFF.
3.5.6
steering wheel paddle
levers (3.5.1) placed at either side of a steering wheel’s diameter mounted on the steering column (3.1.7)
Note 1 to entry: The paddle is pulled to switch drive modes or drive functions.
3.6
controller movement for drive function selection

3.6.1
stationary shifter
shifter that rests in one position
Note 1 to entry: The stationary shifter can be of two types: isotonic or isometric.
3.6.2
isotonic shifter
stationary shifter (3.6.1) that can be moved fore-aft or side-to-side to select a specific drive function and will
rest where it is positioned
Note 1 to entry: As a result, the shifter has only one stable position. The isotonic shifter is the most frequently used
stationary shifter.
3.6.3
isometric shifter
stationary shifter (3.6.1) that is rigid but produces a control operation of selecting a drive function by the
force applied
Note 1 to entry: The shifter does not move but selects drive functions by detecting the directional pressure. The
operational state is determined by that last chosen function.
3.6.4
momentary shifter
spring-loaded shifter, which offers resistance proportional to both the force applied and the amount of
displacement, and returns to the neutral or original (home) position when released
Note 1 to entry: The shifter moves fore-aft and/or side-to-side before returning to home position. Selected functions
and positions of the control is typically identified by displays on the device or the instrument panel (3.1.4).

3.7
feedback display
display used to communicate drive functions’ operational status and selected drive functions, commonly
known as gear positions
Note 1 to entry: This is the same pattern used for drive mode status and selected mode. Feedback displays are typically
displayed either on the instrument cluster (3.1.3) or around/on the controller.
Note 2 to entry: There are three types of feedback; visual feedback which visually tells the state of selected drive
function or mode (e.g. tell-tale or indicator shown on the t or around/on the controller), auditory feedback which orally
tells if the drive function or mode is changed or not using specific feedback methods (e.g. mechanical click sound or
electric buzzer), and haptic feedback which tactilely communicates if the drive function or mode is changed or not (e.g.
mechanical reaction force or electric motor vibration).
4 Transmission gear shifter: types, layouts, locations and feedback displays
4.1 General
Electronic transmission gear shifters can be generally categorized by controller types: lever, dial, push
button and toggle switch. For automatic transmissions, the electronic shifter usually has the layout of shift
movement patterns: from forward to rearward gear position, clockwise from left to right, or vertically from
top to bottom. When the park position, P, is included in the layout of the shifter, it is located at one end, and
the neutral position, N, is located between forward and rearward drive positions.
The movement pattern of the shifter for function selection can be either stationary or momentary. The
stationary shifter can be further categorized into isotonic or isometric shifter. Isotonic stationary shifters
can be moved but then rests wherever it is positioned. No isometric stationary shifter, which is rigid but
produces movement proportional to the force applied, has been yet commercialized.
The momentary shifter refers to the spring-loaded shifter which moves momentarily, with some devices
offering resistance proportional to both the force applied and the amount of displacement. Generally
speaking, these devices spring back to the neutral position when released.
Layout of the shifter refers to the arrangement and alignment of drive functions and the spatial orientation
and control movement pattern of the shifter. Drive functions, P, R, N, D, L, M/S can be physically integrated
into a single component or separated but aligned in specific patterns such as vertical, horizontal or circular
fashions. P is the drive function that is most frequently separated.
Location of the shifter indicates the place where the shifter is located in the vehicle’s interior. There are four
places where the shifter is located: centre console, instrument panel, lower instrument panel and steering
column. Here, the lower instrument panel indicates the place at the bottom of the dashboard, sometimes
physically connected to the centre console (see Figure 1).
Feedback displays of the shifter indicating drive function status as visual feedback are generally placed
either around the shifter or on the shifter. For redundancy, most vehicles also display the status on the
instrument cluster.
For benchmarking purposes, types, layouts, locations and displays of electronic shifter from 276 models of
42 brands from 2018 to 2021, and those from 31 heavy commercial trucks of 20 brands from 2020 to 2023
are surveyed, as shown in Tables A.1 and B.1, respectively.
4.2 Type of transmission gear shifters
Transmission gear shifters consist of either a single device or a combination of devices. There are four
different types of transmission gear shifters in the market. The majority type is the lever type, which takes
about 77,2 % of the 276 models surveyed, while dial and button types account for approximately 22,5 %.
There was only one model that used a toggle switch type, as described in A.1.

4.2.1 Lever
The lever type shifter moves in one single action/operation or a combination of operations. The one action
refers to moving the lever in one direction or to completing the shift operation with one operation. Note
that the transmission gear shifter is the primary control that selects the vehicle’s direction of motion and
a separate or integrated control for drive mode selection can be included for the selection of terrain or
environmental conditions such as rain, snow, off-road, sport, eco, etc.
The lever type shifter never moves to R by one action. An integral part of the shifter is a mechanism like
a push button release or other similar ‘gate’ that prevents moving directly from a parked position, P or a
driving position, D to R, as described in Figure 2.
Key
1 first direction of motion
2 second direction of motion
3 push button
4 direction of motion
Figure 2 — Shifter mechanisms to prevent moving directly from P or D to R
The lever type shifter never goes from P to D by one action. The park position is achieved by a control such
as a push button or a toggle switch that are separate from the shifter. The control can also be combined with
the parking brake or can be a separate control located in close proximity to the transmission gear shifter, as
described in Figure 3.
Key
1 push button
2 release of brake
3 release of P
Figure 3 — Shifter mechanisms for releasing the drive function, P
When the lever type shifter is attached on the steering column, the direction of operating the lever goes
clockwise from the neutral position to the forward position, as described in Figure 4.
Figure 4 — Control direction of the lever type shifter located on the steering column
4.2.2 Dial/rotary
The rotary type controller moves in a circular direction to select a specific function of transmission gear
shifters or a specific mode of drive mode selectors. A disk type controller is generally called a dial while
a rotary knob type is just a rotary or rotary dial. The shifter rotates clockwise to shift from P to D or vice
versa, as shown in Figure 5.
As the momentary dial is used, the control of the shifter is designed in a way to avoid confusion to the driver
so that he or she would expect to move the dial twice to change from R to D.
Figure 5 — Clockwise movement of the dial type shifter moving from P to D
4.2.3 Push button
The arrangement of drive functions is similar to the conventional lever type shifter. An example is shown in
Figure 6. To prevent any confusion of selecting a wrong drive function, the size, shape, or colour of tell-tales
in the feedback display for each button can be differentiated.
Figure 6 — Typical arrangement of drive functions using the push button type shifter
4.2.4 Toggle switch
Although the use of a toggle switch for the shifter is rarely observed, a stationary toggle switch like a slider
switch can be used for the shifter as depicted in Figure 7, whereas a momentary switch, often used for the
drive mode selector, has not yet been found.

Figure 7 — Set of toggle switches used for the transmission gear shifter
4.2.5 Steering wheel paddle
Paddles are placed either on the steering column or steering wheel. The paddle is pulled in order to switch
drive modes in Figure 8.
Figure 8 — Steering wheel paddles switch
4.3 Layouts of the shifter
Shifter layout designs endeavour to consider the sequence of operation and drivers’ mental model of
operations in order to ensure ease and accuracy of operation.
The shifter layout is designed to prevent shifters from being changed by the driver's hand when the driver
operates any function other than drive function change.
Unlike R, N, and D, the P is positioned or displayed distinctly in all types of shifters so the user can easily
distinguish P from the other positions and thereby reduce any potential misoperations. For instance, the
colour of P could be different or could be displayed differently so it’s easier to recognize. If P is positioned
with R, N, D, then P is located at the end or to the side of the shift pattern.
4.3.1 Alignment of layout
There are four main types of layout alignments: in-line, in-line and perpendicular, circular, and gated. These
alignments can be used alone or combined for the layout of the shifter.

4.3.1.1 In-line alignment
For in-line types, all drive functions are aligned either vertically or horizontally, as shown in Figure 9.
Approximately the half of the shifters among 276 models are aligned in-line.
Figure 9 — In-line alignment of transmission gear shifters
4.3.1.2 In-line and perpendicular alignment
For in-line and perpendicular types, all drive functions are aligned vertically, but have a perpendicular or
horizontal movement added for a certain function (usually the M or S function that requires manual -/+
shift), as shown in Figure 10. Combining both in-line and perpendicular and in-line alignments comprises
three quarters of all designs.
Figure 10 — In-line and perpendicular alignment of transmission gear shifters
4.3.1.3 Circular alignment
For a circular type, all drive functions are aligned in a circular fashion as shown in Figure 11. This alignment
accounts for about one-fifth of all designs.

Figure 11 — Circular alignments of transmission gear shifters
4.3.1.4 Gated alignment
A gated type alignment, shown in Figure 12, accounting for about 7 % of the studied models, is when all
drive functions are aligned in a zigzag fashion to prevent any misoperations.
Figure 12 — Gated alignment of transmission gear shifters
4.3.2 Separation of ‘P’
The park position, P, can be either integrated with other drive functions (see Figures 9-12) or provided as a
separate control.
4.3.2.1 Integrated P
P is integrated with other drive functions. There is no separate button other than the main shifter in either
lever type or dial type shifters as shown in Figure 13.
Most designs, over 60 %, employ the integration of drive functions, when P is separately positioned, about
half of designs place P on the shifter.

Figure 13 — P integrated with other drive functions
4.3.2.2 Separated P
This is a case where there is a separate button for P as shown in Figure 14. When P is separated from other
functions, P is located on fore, aft, or left/right (depending on where the driver is placed) of the shifter or on
the shifter. A separate P button is never on the opposite side of a driver.
Figure 14 — P separated from other drive functions
4.3.3 Summary of the layouts of the shifter
Table 1 describes the layouts of transmission gear shifters in detail.

Table 1 — Various layouts employed in the design of transmission gear shifters
Lever Steering column Dial Button

Integrat- Separat-
Integrated P Separated P Integrated P Separated P Separated P
ed P ed P
In-line
In-line and
perpendicular
Circular
4.4 Location of the shifter inside the vehicle
There are four main locations for transmission gear shifters: centre console, instrument panel, lower
instrument panel and steering column, as shown in Figure 15. Most of the shifters (80 %) are located on the
centre console.
The shifter is designed in a way to be located within the reach of the driver regardless of shifter locations.

a) Centre console b) Instrument panel c) Lower instrument panel
d) Steering column e) Seat side
Figure 15 — Potential locations of the shifter inside the vehicle
4.5 Feedback displays of drive function status
The basic concept is to display each drive function status, commonly known as gear position, its
interrelationship and selected drive function.
The complete shift pattern is designed to provide clear visibility to the driver at a single location wherever
the vehicle is operating and always in the driver’s eye and head’s field of view.
If the drive function sequence of transmission gear shifter includes a park position, identification of drive
function positions, including the position in relation to each other and the position selected, is designed to
be displayed in view of the driver, whenever any of two conditions exist: when the ignition is in a position
where the transmission can be shifted, and when the transmission is not in park.
There are two ways to display the drive function status: instrument cluster can only display a selected drive
function status or instrument cluster can display entire drive functions and highlight a selected status.

4.5.1 Feedback display around or on the shifter
Most feedback displays, approximately 97 %, are provided around or on the shifter with few exceptions
(Table 2).
Table 2 — Location of feedback display around or on the shifter
Fore
11 %
Left On the shifter Right
42 % 37 % 3 %
Aft
7 %
4.5.1.1 Lever type
Drive functions of P, R, N, D are displayed around or on the lever. When the display feedback is located around
the lever, it can be located on either top/bottom of the lever, or on the driver’s side, never on the opposite
side of the driver that can hinder driver’s visibility. For example, driver’s hand movements can hinder the
driver function display while operating the shifter. The driver seat was on the right side of the vehicle in the
cases where feedback displays were located on the right side in Figure 16.
For cases where a separated button is used for P, P can be displayed separately.
Figure 16 — Locations of feedback display around the lever type shifter
For cases where P, R, N, D is marked on the lever, then P, R, N, D are displayed also on the instrument cluster,
as described in Figure 17.
Figure 17 — Locations of feedback display on the lever type shifter

4.5.1.2 Dial type
For a dial type, drive functions of P, R, N, D are conventionally displayed on the top of dial or above the dial
from left to right. Figure 18 shows that visual feedback moves to the right as the dial momentarily turns
clockwise.
Figure 18 — Locations of feedback display on the dial type shifter
For a dial type that displays the functions of P, R, N, D left to right, visual feedback moves left to right as
the dial rotates clockwise. For the case where PRND is marked on the dial, feedback is also provided on the
instrument cluster in the same way as shown in Figure 19.
Figure 19 — Locations of feedback display on the dial type shifter
4.5.1.3 Push button type
For a push button type, each of the functions of P, R, N, D is conventionally displayed on the button itself. Figure 20
shows P (parking) is often separately designed to improve salience by using distinct colours or shapes.
Figure 20 — Locations of feedback display on the push button type shifter

4.5.2 Feedback display on the instrument cluster
Figure 21 shows there are two types of presentation of the drive function status on the instrument cluster:
the instrument cluster only displays a selected drive function or the instrument cluster displays all the drive
functions and highlights a selected drive function. With no exception, feedback display is always provided
on the instrument cluster.
Figure 21 — Two types of presentation of feedback display on the instrument cluster
Various locations for the display information of the drive function status are found on the instrument
cluster: from top left to bottom right.
The centre area of the instrument cluster is favoured and the centre bottom area is most favoured for
displaying the drive function status, as shown in Table 3.
Table 3 — Locations of the display of drive function status on the instrument cluster
Left Centre Right
4 % 19 % 1 %
Top
3 % 14 % 11 %
Middle
5 % 36 % 7 %
Bottom
5 Drive mode selector: types, layouts, locations and feedback displays
5.1 General
Drive mode selector (DMS) is a feature increasingly present in recent vehicle models and is now a feature
offered by most original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the automotive industry. The DMS is a specific
actuator or group of actuators that allows the driver to change the vehicles' driving characteristics, without
changing the direction of motion, by selecting a specific drive mode.
There is a large diversity concerning the naming of the feature, with most models naming it drive mode or
driving modes. Other variations include dynamics select, driver mode selector, multi sense, drive select and
driving m
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