One clear influence was airplanes entering the mainstream in the 1930s. We can see much of the impact play out in exterior styling (tail fins, in particular), but dashboard design was also affected.

The Xbox One’s new dashboard design is meant to be faster and easier to navigate, with customization options for users to self-select how it looks and feels. Image: Microsoft ...

Giuseppe Molina, Paolo Smeriglio, Integrated CAE Simulation for Car Dashboard Design, SAE Transactions, Vol. 103, Section 6: JOURNAL OF PASSENGER CARS (1994), pp. 1208-1216 ...