Faurecia displays its 'Cockpit of the Future' in India

Faurecia, a global leader in its three areas of business – automotive seating, interior systems and emissions control technologies – recently showcased its award-winning vehicle Cockpit of the Future at the ACMA Value Chain Summit, held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Faurecia’s interior systems business division displayed this concept, which drew considerable viewers from industry. Called ‘Intuition’, Faurecia’s flagship demonstrator, which was brought from Europe for display in India, showcased an entire dashboard with integrated instrument panels, centre console and other components that surround the interior system.

“By showcasing Faurecia’s Intuition demonstrator, we are trying to show how Faurecia is preparing to be a complete integrator and supplier of different technologies, of the entire cockpit of the future,” Sameer Raina, engineering director – India and Thailand, Faurecia Interior Systems, told Autocar Professional.

He added that Faurecia, globally as well as in India, is trying to align its strategy towards moving from being a commodity-based supplier (supplying parts such as door panels, center consoles, instrument panels and others) to becoming a technology company.

In India, the company aims to position itself as the only supplier with the required capabilities to help the carmakers transform automotive interiors in their respective products in line with the rapid transformation. Faurecia is aggressively working on its R&D on interior systems that include connectivity, human machine interface, integration of electronics and other complex domains.

“In five years from now, the interiors of the vehicles won’t be what they look like today. We will have bigger display units. We have seven-inch display units currently. We will have nine-inch touchscreens in two years,” he added.

Faurecia, which has worked with Tesla and China’s Byton on advanced interior systems globally, has developed some affordable, innovative solutions for India market. “The innovative air-vents and armrests are built to suit the requirements here,” said Raina while demonstrating an armrest with an invisible tissue holder.

Offering a space saving solution, it is yet to be commercialised, he disclosed.

In India, Faurecia continues to expand its industrial base for three Business Groups: Emissions Control Technologies, Interior Systems and Automotive Seating. This campaign is now backed by the Pune TechCenter, which provides the full range of R&D expertise needed to develop local and international programs. Faurecia now has more than 600 R&D engineers at its Pune facility, which caters to the company’s interior and seating business divisions. The R&D unit on clean mobility, on the other hand, is based in Bangalore.

Faurecia bags German Innovation Awards
Meanwhile, on June 11, Faurecia announced that it has won two German Innovation awards for its ‘Morphing Instrument Panel’ and ‘Immersive Sound Experience’, innovations that provide a unique and personalised user experience for the connected, predictive and versatile Cockpit of the Future.

Founded by the German Parliament and supported by German industry, the German Innovation Award recognizes products and solutions across industries that differ from previous solutions especially in terms of user experience and added value. The Innovation Award is presented by an independent and interdisciplinary jury from industry, science, institutions and the financial sector.

The morphing instrument panel: Faurecia has drawn on its expertise in mechatronics, kinematics and design for its Morphing Instrument Panel. When the driver changes to the autonomous driving mode, the display adjusts to a central position. At the same time, the shape of the dashboard customises to its new position. When the driver switches from driving to autonomous mode, the display glides from the driver’s side to a central position and simultaneously the instrument panel surface smoothly adapts its shape. Both movements are managed by Faurecia innovative know how in micro-mechanisms and materials. During driving mode, the display can be used as a driving cluster giving driving information and safety signals, and can also act as a central screen for navigation and media. During autonomous mode the display will become the large entertainment screen visible for all passengers.

Immersive sound experience: Acoustics contribute to the comfort and well-being of the driver and passengers. Faurecia has integrated innovative technologies and advanced software algorithms to create two individual sound bubbles, allowing each occupant to listen to something different or receive a telephone call without being overheard. Sound surfaces create omnidirectional sound directly from the interior surface without integrating any loudspeaker. The system offers higher degrees of design freedom by reducing packaging space and weight compared to traditional speaker systems.