NEW YORK -- When people ask Ian Callum, director of design at Jaguar, if he's going to put a big 12-inch iPad-like screen in his cars, he says, "Not if I can help it."
The 20-year Jaguar Land Rover veteran, who transformed JLR's lineup with models such as the XJ and new F-Type was presenting the refreshed XE sports sedan at a newly remodeled dealership on Manhattan's west side Tuesday night.
Callum criticized giant touch screens -- the kind Tesla pioneered in the Model S, which are now popping up across the industry in vehicles including Toyota's new Highlander SUV and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Ram pickups.
"If you're driving 80-90 miles an hour -- and you can in some countries, legally -- you don't want to be flipping around an iPad looking to move your door mirrors or your seat controls," Callum said. "You need to be able to feel your way through the car without looking at it for more than a millisecond."
The Jaguar XE has a dual-screen system, with major information at the top and minor things, such as climate control, below. It also has tactile controls, Callum said -- to give drivers a sense that they are part of something mechanical.
