What Display Daily thinks: AUO bought a German automotive supplier, Hisense wants to make a splash at CES 2024 with its entry into automotive displays, and China’s EV market is driving greater partnerships between automotive suppliers and Chinese display makers. Look for a lot more of this kind of news in the next six weeks leading up to CES 2024 in January.
Look for a lot more at CES, too. The car dashboard isn’t something that can be broken up into components. Sure, you can provide one component, such as Hisense’s AR HUD projection unit, but the display is such an integral part of the dash that it is hard to divorce it from the interior design.
So, you can either put your faith in the automotive OEM to bring together all the parts and make them fit, or you can make it easier by thinking through the totality of the problem and delivering a solution that shortcuts a lot of the demands.
Automotive displays are not about form factor. They are an essential part of what sells a car, how safe and practical it is, and they are subject to innumerable forces that could destroy them, from passengers to weather to bad design. If I am in the automotive display business, I would be attacking the market from the perspective of a company like Covestro than an LG.
Only a handful of companies can compete with LG in the automotive display market. Everyone else has to find an in through another point of entry. There’s plenty of suppliers ready for the partnership or for the taking. I think AUO did a grand job by acquiring a German automobile components manufacturer. A company like Covestro, coincidentally also German, is another grand entry point into the market. Don’t discount the rigors and IP that has to go into making eco-friendly enclosures for automotive displays, ones that also meet the stringent requirements of quality, weight, and safety demanded by the OEMs.
Covestro Accelerates China Auto Partnerships, Especially in Displays
German materials manufacturer Covestro is ramping up its involvement in China’s auto sector through several new partnerships announced at the recent China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. A key focus is on developing advanced display technologies for future vehicles.
Covestro formalized a strategic collaboration with Changzhou Talent-display Optronics & Technology (CTOT) to enhance specialized polycarbonate (PC) films for improved vehicle displays. As cars become more integrated, intelligent and data-connected, displays are increasingly critical as the interface between driver and vehicle. Covestro and CTOT aim to ensure reliability while enabling flexible design to accommodate rapid changes in new energy vehicles.
Additionally, Covestro is establishing a joint laboratory with Chinese electric vehicle maker HiPhi to develop smart surface technologies and battery solutions. On display at Covestro’s CIIE booth was HiPhi’s latest SUV incorporating the company’s polycarbonate in the headlamp and LiDAR lenses. The headlamps project signs and patterns using Covestro’s high optical performance materials.
Covestro also unveiled a partnership with Hangzhou Zhitai Technology to explore lightweight thermoplastic composite solutions like continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastics. This aims to reduce vehicle weight and improve fuel efficiency.
Through collaborations with Chinese automakers and suppliers, Covestro seeks to grow its automotive business in the country. Displays are a particular area of focus given their expanding role in future vehicle connectivity and intelligence.
