Digital Tech Trends Drive the Motor Industry into the Future

Some of the biggest names in car-making and technology are here at the IAA Mobility event showing off their new designs and innovations.

With mobility under increasing pressure to become cleaner and greener, the buzz words here are "smart and sustainable".

Laurent Meillaud, is a journalist and automotive tech expert. 

“We can feel there is a strong climate pressure more than ever. So, we can see everywhere electric cars. The hot-topic this year also is about digital. We can see some companies coming from consumer electronics, such as LG. We have Samsung. We can feel that it’s all about connectivity, 5G, the Cloud. So, we’ll be connected to the home, connected to the office.”

Japanese company Sekisui makes materials for different industries worldwide, including mobility. It’s been in Europe for 60 years and has been supplying the European automotive market since the 1980s.

The firm says 75 percent of today’s cars in Europe are equipped with its technologies. Components for glass are a big focus. This concept car, showing off the windows of tomorrow.

Masashi Yanai is the Product Planning Director, at Sekisui Europe. 

“By touch switching, the glass can turn to transparent and also back to the privacy glass. Also, for the front door, we also integrated for in the car, because there are no door handles in the car anymore, we put the mobile access, and also the touch function with an icon display on the glass.”

The latest in-car information technologies are also being showcased by exhibitors here in Munich.

Sekisui is focusing on facilitating next-generation displays, with content visible across the entire windscreen.

Masashi Yanai again.

“Like navigation, or mobile phones, or radio, or clock, that kind of information, we can