Door Panel Concept launched by Continental

Continental has introduced the Door Panel Concept – a compact model featuring five different functional surfaces. It recently earned the CMF Design Award 2023 which recognizes outstanding achievements in color, material and finish.

Its functional surfaces enhance the user experience in a variety of ways – for example, breathable surfaces improve comfort on long journeys, and surface illumination technology  enables expanded human-machine interfaces.

Continental has integrated its new heatable technology concept into the Door Panel Concept, offering a practical heating solution directly within the surface material. This technology efficiently warms the area close to the body, benefiting both drivers and passengers.

It can be applied to various surface materials including seats, backrests and armrests, due to its slim and lightweight design, Continental says. 

The Door Panel Concept also features the Xpreshn Hylite Concept, which provides mood and task-dependent ambient lighting. This translucent material, which can be being fully recycled, integrates into the vehicle interior to enhance human-machine interfaces (HMIs) and enable personalized vehicle designs.

By incorporating these functional surface solutions, Continental aims to address evolving trends in the automotive industry concerning sustainability and personalized user experiences.

“Trends are the intelligent cockpit and the third space, i.e. the driving, working and relaxing experience combined in the vehicle as a third space alongside the home and workplace,” commented Burak Uezel, global head of automotive design at the surface specialists at ContiTech.

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

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