Continuing just-auto’s series of interviews with tier one manufacturers, Matthew Beecham spoke to Han Hendriks about consumer expectations of car interiors, JCI’s Interior Vision 2025 and their new operating model tailored at innovation management. Han represents JCI’s Interiors business worldwide and is the innovation leader of this business.
What do consumers look for and expect from their car cockpit nowadays? And what is expected as a minimum in the mid-range segment?
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There is no straight answer to this question because there is still no such a “world car”. Consumers around the globe have different tastes and priorities. This is why Johnson Controls has a series of proprietary Consumer Research Studies in place to analyse consumer preferences in the major automotive regions of North America, Europe and China. “Consumers around the world desire a better solution for electronics management” is one of the findings that our researchers and engineers are taking back to interior design and development. Cockpit expectations, in particular when studying floor console consumer expectations, include the demand for secure yet visible storage for any personal electronics. European drivers, for example, like motion-activated lighting features and decorative trim parts to create an individual look. Wireless device connection and charging functionality is an additional desire in particular of Chinese car drivers who often drive cars in the mid-range segment. The mid-range segment chiefly prefers new lightweight materials and new styling like multi-colored interior features.
Consumers expect a perceived quality in the mid-range segment as well as the materials and soft instrument panel surfaces that were previously found only in the premium segment. It would seem that this is to become a standard.
In BRIC countries, are there any notable differences in terms of consumer tastes for car interiors compared to more developed nations?
There is a difference in terms of consumer tastes for car interiors but there are also differences between the BRIC countries themselves. For instance, the A/B segment will grow in Brazil, India and Western Europe, whereas in India the preference should remain the same for small cars with low cost and an emphasis on utility. Furthermore, we see consumers/users of the small cars in Europe looking for features that we generally find in higher segments, e.g. decorative surfaces or ambient lighting.
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By GlobalDataLet us take China and North America as markets to compare. Chinese consumers are the least satisfied with their interior features. They always strive for the latest in innovations, more comfort and greater prestige – “the newer, the better”. In the framework of our IV 25 vision, “China in-car luxury demand” will be a key driver in car design. Chinese car drivers are seeking inspirational fulfillment and meaningful enjoyment of luxury while driving. In contrast, consumers in the US, putting it in one sentence, are attracted by the continuous advancements of existing features.
There have been a lot of changes in the cockpit over the past decade alone. How would you sum up today’s technology focus?
First of all weight reduction has been an important topic over the years if we talk about cockpits. Craftsmanship and the use of premium materials as well as decorative trim and lighting also play roles. Last but not least, the improved airbag systems influenced the cockpit development over the past decade.
The car’s dashboard is no longer a panel just carrying instruments. At first, there was the move from analogue to digital instruments. This was followed by intense research and development on the subject of Human-Machine-Interface integration and optimisation with technologies and solutions featured on all different kinds of displays, including top-notch touch screens, HUDs or other solutions are found in today’s vehicles. Looking ahead, we are taking more and more interaction between the driver and the machines out of the cockpit. Johnson Controls’ Interior Vision of the Future, Interior Vision 2025 (IV 25), clearly sees new materials and technologies coming up that will impact not only the IP and cockpit area, but the car interior as a whole. Johnson Controls is working today on the intelligent and functional surfaces of the future. Cockpit functionality and interior car design will truly witness a revolution.
Johnson Controls Automotive Interiors division recently initiated a new operating model tailored at innovation management. Could you explain how it works?
Stringent innovation management is essential to keep pace with ever changing and increasing customer needs. Our modified operating model integrates all business areas that feed into the innovation process. To boost the effectiveness of our innovation process, we consolidated all innovation activities into the new Johnson Controls’ Advanced Product Development (APD) organisation. Thus, we have closely connected the relevant interfaces in one global organisation. APD integrates research, technology, innovation engineering and industrial design teams. The APD centres are allocated in different countries with the goal of recruiting the best talents.
As an outcome of your new approach to innovation management, is there a best practice case which you would like to share?
Yes, for example our CHyM [Compression Hybrid Molding] innovation. We have launched the CHyM light-weight natural fibre substrate technology just last year. It is substantially lighter than conventional ABS substrate. We use it for door panel production in particular. It is our philosophy to offer one global material at a standardised manufacturing process and quality. The advantages of CHyM are the reduction of weight at a similar or even better cost ratio while enhancing performance parameters. Plus, we have reduced material waste by 35 percent. But the main USP of the technology is the weight reduction and, subsequently, the reduction of CO2 emissions. During the course of the development of just one vehicle cycle, over the 2012 to 2018 model years, we have achieved to bring material weight down by almost 50 percent from 1850 g/m2 down to about 1000 g/m2 in a C-segment door panel. As an example, this technology has helped us to even beat the weight targets of the leading German premium OEMs. It is our continuous challenge to win the race between the market leaders of who can produce the lightest materials.
What’s your vision of the vehicle interior of the future?
At Johnson Controls Automotive Interiors, we have identified three main themes that are going to be of major influence to the automotive interior industry: The urban A/B segment, China in-car luxury demand and the impact that autonomous driving will have on car interior design. Each of these themes will have its own influence on the interior of the future. It’s going to be very exciting how the interiors could look like in 2025. We are working on these trends [as part of our] IV25
How will autonomous driving impact the interior design of future cars?
In future, the task of driving the car will no longer be the main activity of a driver during the journey. Drivers may no longer have to drive their cars in the conventional way. This is going to be a fundamental change as from the horse to the car. In this regard one of the biggest consumer values of autonomous driving will be the gain of time. Time to work, time to relax and time to spend on other activities. This implies that future interior design and functionality will have to accommodate the new driving experience. Drivers and passengers will demand intelligent and functional surfaces to connect their tablets and mobile devices, seats which can be turned into a more social position, a floor console offering greater flexibility or space and even a completely new approach towards cockpit functionality and positioning. Interior car design will truly witness a revolution. And even more important will be the safety advantages. At the moment, an estimated 95 percent of all accidents are due to human error. Autonomous driving is expected to eliminate that 95 percent to a large extent. For vehicle interiors, as an example, this could mean that we may require less airbags in the car.
In terms of advanced engineering and future product concepts, how far ahead is Johnson Controls reaching out?
The remainder of this interview is available on just-auto’s QUBE Global light vehicle instrumentation and cockpits market- forecasts to 2030
