Sun Chemical’s latest functional-ink portfolio puts recycled content and lower silver loading alongside electrical performance. The real story is how materials economics is reshaping printed
The 2026 safety tests reward accessible controls for essential functions. For smart-surface designers, the message is not to abandon digital interfaces but to choose the
A European flexible-heater demonstrator replaces printed silver with dry-patterned metal foil. It shows why the next smart interior may be decided as much by process
Optical force sensing can detect microscopic surface movement, offering a route to controls hidden behind metal, glass or decorative trim without relying solely on capacitive
ams OSRAM has joined an industry standards effort for short-reach optical data links. The interesting crossover is the use of micro-emitter expertise developed for pixelated
ams OSRAM’s ALIYOS Bond Vision demonstrator integrates LED-on-foil lighting with display optics, touch and haptics. It is a particularly clear example of the automotive surface
A backlit grille, mode-dependent cabin lighting and a concealed control surface make the Cuorerosso concept a study in how illumination can support both brand identity
Vauxhall STX Concept introduces an animated Vizor, illuminated Griffin and a new approach to lighting-led automotive identity. CATEGORY: News | SOURCE: Vauxhall STX Concept, 11
The more sophisticated premium interiors become, the stronger the pressure to make their technology visually disappear. Source date: 2025-2026 Primary organisation: Cross-industry interiors More
Transparent Micro LED is moving towards automotive production, turning glazing and open-view surfaces into potential information layers rather than blank apertures. Source date: 2026 Primary
Printed and flexible electronics research is moving beyond simple conductive tracks towards computation, sensing and intelligence on thin, conformable substrates. Source date: 2025-2026 Primary organisation:
Continental and nobilia have hidden a working display, touch controls and other functions behind decorative surfaces – an interior concept with obvious automotive implications. Source
Marelli’s Flat Lit Surface combines OLED and Folia-LED rear lighting with personalised content and software-enabled functionality, pointing to a different product lifecycle for lamps. Source
Honda’s Super-ONE links cabin illumination to BOOST mode, adding light to the sound, display and powertrain cues that communicate vehicle state. Source date: 21 May
Hyundai’s Concept THREE develops its Parametric Pixel lighting into a gradient graphic, showing how a simple digital motif can become a persistent brand asset. Source
Valeo and RESRG Automotive are extending their alliance from illuminated front panels into grilles, bumpers, spoilers, tailgates and rocker panels. Source date: 16 April 2026
Mercedes-Benz’s illuminated star patterns show how automotive branding is migrating from badges and grilles into programmable lighting graphics. Source date: 2025 Primary organisation: Mercedes-Benz 142
BMW Panoramic iDrive moves information into a full-width windscreen zone while the iX3 interior uses light and material to reduce the visual dominance of conventional
Mercedes-Benz has turned one of the car industry’s oldest styling devices into a digitally illuminated surface, with an optional GLC grille using 942 backlit dots.
BMW’s Neue Klasse design language makes an unusually explicit statement about the changing role of automotive illumination: on the iX3, light now performs a visual
