Button, Button, Who Doesn’t Have the Button?

There’s something missing in General Motors Co. new Opel GT concept sports coupe: interior buttons and knobs.

The new GT concept model, which will be publicly unveiled next month at the Geneva auto show, features a clean interior with a central touchpad control unit. Drivers also can use voice commands to actuate various functions.

Opel claims the human-machine interface system also is capable of learning a driver’s preferences based on past selections for music, temperature and driving route. It could also speak an audio alert to warn drivers about potential safety hazards, such as fast-approaching vehicle.

The brushed aluminum instrument panel includes two round displays that can be reconfigured to show traditional tachometer data, maps and other information. Certain information also can be projected as 3-D images, and both displays can be backlit in different colors depending on driver preference.

The steering wheel’s retro-design is reminiscent of the original 1960s-era Opel GT.

The Spartan interior complements the sleek exterior design, which Opel revealed earlier this year. The door panels seamlessly blend into the side windows, while the windshield flows into a panoramic glass roof. Traditional rearview mirrors are replaced with integrated video cameras that display images on interior monitors, and hidden keypads are used instead of door handles.