Continental: New Door Panel Concept for Vehicle Interiors

With the so-called Door Panel Concept, Continental has developed a functional surface solution in the form of a door panel made up of five different functional surfaces. It was recently awarded the CMF Design Award 2023 in Shenzhen (China). Elements of the Space D design concept, which was first presented at the IAA Mobility 2023, are also included in the new concept.

“Trends include the intelligent cockpit and the Third Space, which is the combined driving, working, and relaxation experience in the vehicle as a third space besides home and workplace,” explains Burak Uezel, Global Head of Automotive Design at the surface specialists of ContiTech.

In (partially) autonomous vehicles with quiet electric drives, drivers and passengers no longer need to focus so much on the optical or acoustic impressions from outside.

“The focus is more on the interior, on the design and functionality of control elements that can be integrated into surfaces,” says Uezel.

China is a Driver of Innovation

The Chinese market is increasingly becoming the driver of innovation for autonomous driving and e-mobility. Therefore, it is no coincidence that Continental received the CMF Design Award for its door trim concept.

Focus on User Experience

When developing functional surfaces, Continental always focuses on user experience. Examples include breathable surfaces for comfort during long drives on hot days or touchscreen solutions that turn the surface into a control element. Other elements are the translucent Xpreshn Hylite Concept and Continental's directly heatable surface material, the so-called Heatable Technology.

“This allows us to support various scenarios - e.g., autonomous driving, being stuck in traffic, or entering a car. In addition, there are different settings for activities such as eating, relaxing, watching movies, working, and playing which enable the user to have a diverse experience in the vehicle,” explains Uezel.

Entirely New Human-Machine Interfaces

Xpreshn Hylite, which is indistinguishable from conventional surfaces when unlit, becomes visible once it is backlit. The material allows for mood- and task-dependent ambient lighting to be integrated into the vehicle interior and harmonized with other light sources and switches. This enables entirely new human-machine interfaces.

“Automakers can design their vehicles much more individually with our surface materials,” says Uezel.

Continental has also developed a translucent TPO material that can be fully recycled.

Quick and Efficient Heating

Continental's new heating technology is also part of the door panel concept. In this solution, the heating elements are integrated into the surface material, enabling close-proximity heating that directly affects the driver and passengers. The quick and efficient technology can be applied to a variety of surface materials and is not limited by the shape of the required heating area. It can therefore be used for components such as seats, backrests, and armrests. As an invisible, slim, and particularly lightweight heating system, the material also allows for significant weight savings compared to conventional materials. It is therefore especially suitable for use in electric vehicles, where lightweight construction is generally very important to compensate for the weight of the heavy battery storage.