Together with French automotive supplier Plastic Omnium, automotive lighting and electronics expert Hella says it is further advancing the development of holistic concepts for the vehicle exterior. This initially includes comprehensive lighting solutions that are integrated comprehensively into the front area of the vehicle. The new ‘Front of the Car’ approach was showcased at the IAA in Frankfurt at the Hella stand.

"The front of the car continues to gain in importance: on the one hand, it has a decisive influence on the vehicle design. On the other hand, it is an important integration location for numerous sensors, relevant lighting modules and further elements. Together with our partner Plastic Omnium, we are therefore working on an intelligent system approach for the vehicle front that opens up completely new design possibilities for the customer," said Dr Frank Huber, member of the Hella management board and responsible for global lighting activities.

Mark Sullivan, president and CEO, Intelligent Exterior Systems from Plastic Omnium adds: "The cooperation with Hella enables us to offer customers sophisticated and unique system solutions for the vehicle front from a single source. At the same time, our intelligent system approach helps our customers to develop more functionalities while decreasing complexity."

The ‘Front of the Car’ concept has a multi-level setup. At the beginning, development activities focus on efficiently integrating certain lighting modules into the vehicle front, such as direction indicators or contour lighting. "The demand for such solutions is high. We could possibly go into series production within the next two to three years already," said Dr Huber.

First development projects are also in progress for higher integration levels. This includes the integration of various electronic components, such as radar or lidar sensors or a front camera. Large displays for communication between the vehicle and its surroundings as well as headlamps could also be integrated at more sophisticated development stages.