Automotive audio systems have historically been engineered around a driver-centric model, with fixed seating geometry and a well-defined listening reference. In contrast, emerging autonomous vehicle interiors introduce reconfigurable seating, multi-user scenarios, and use cases that extend beyond driving to include work, entertainment, and social interaction. These changes fundamentally shift the role of in-cabin audio from a playback system to a component of a broader user experience. This panel explores how audio system design must evolve to support cabin-centric, multi-occupant experiences. Key challenges include managing multiple concurrent use cases, balancing shared and personalized audio, and adapting to dynamic seating configurations and listener orientations. The discussion will also address how audio integrates with human-machine interfaces, including voice interaction, auditory alerts, and contextual feedback, particularly in the absence of a clearly defined driver role. Panelists will examine system-level approaches that bridge UX and engineering, including zonal audio strategies, adaptive rendering informed by occupant sensing, and experience-driven system tuning. Emphasis will be placed on practical design trade-offs, such as isolation versus social cohesion, system complexity versus robustness, and personalization versus consistency. The session aims to outline frameworks for designing audio systems that function as adaptive, user-centered components within next-generation autonomous vehicle cabins.
