Automatic transmissions are becoming more popular in cars, and that brings with it changes to the interior layout. The new generation of Superb and Kodiaq models have the automatic transmission selector on the steering column. It’s easier for drivers and frees up the centre console for practical use.

A gear lever or automatic transmission selector on the centre console is what most of us are used to. The fourth-generation Superb and second-generation Kodiaq SUV break from this tradition, however. The automatic transmission selector, which is the only choice for these cars, has moved behind the steering wheel. 

The reason is simple: better use of interior space. “By moving the selector behind the steering wheel, we are improving ergonomics for the driver while making the centre console space more practical for all the car’s occupants. This is in line with the very DNA of the Škoda brand,” says Radoslav Horák, who is in charge of conceptual interior design at the Czech carmaker.

An automatic transmission is actually a prerequisite for this change. Automatic gearboxes are becoming more and more popular and more common, and they have advantages in terms of emissions in cars with internal combustion engines, so this technology will win out in the end. But it will take time. That’s why we’re starting with our top models like the Kodiaq and Superb, which already have exclusively automatic transmissions,” explains Horák. 

“The Octavia, for example, came with a smaller automatic gear selector on the centre console,” says Darkoudis. This smaller selector is actually an evolution of sorts, foreshadowing the repositioning. Similarly, the Enyaq electric car was given a smaller selector on the centre console. “It’s also about getting car users accustomed to the change gradually,” says Horak.