Infotainment console.
Yup - more useless techno-shit to insure that there are distracted drivers to cause accidents.

No, just combining what a lot of car users will have in-car anyway (phone satnav radio/cd) in a format which is generally hands-free, and does not clutter the dashboard, or line-of-sight, when driving.
As it's centrally placed below the dashboard it is suitable for use by the driver or the passenger