"Ten Thousand Possibilities" of In-Vehicle Display

As an important carrier of human-computer interaction in cars, in-vehicle display has always been a key link for car companies. When intelligence first swept the cockpit, the in-car screen expanded from the center console to the instrument panel, co-pilot, back seat and even the rear armrest. Among them, Ideal L9 and BMW i7 became popular for their cool in-car large screens.

However, as the application becomes more and more in-depth, more and more car companies and users are beginning to ask: Does the expansion of the screen area inside the car really equate to an improvement in user experience?

Some netizens said frankly, "The novelty of multiple screens in the car has passed", "A large screen does not mean a sense of luxury", "Watching movies on the co-pilot screen will greatly distract you from driving"...

He Xiaopeng of Xpeng Motors considered the real needs of users and the power consumption of cars: "I am quite firmly opposed to having many screens in cars. The most important reason for having many screens is that there are many people in the car. If there are not many people in the car, there is no demand for this screen. I think from the perspective of input-output ratio, there is basically not much value, because screens actually have many problems, such as power consumption."

Li Bin of NIO talked about the impact of large screens on children, saying that he would not let his own children watch large screens, nor would he let the children of other users watch large screens. Zhang Yong of Hezhong admitted that children usually spend a long time watching mobile phones and pads, and it is difficult to correct them. During the trip, they should look at the world outside the car, listen to music and stories, sleep, and interact and chat with adults.

Obviously, as intelligence enters the second half, the popularity of super-numerous and super-large screens has quietly subsided, and car companies' attitude towards screen configuration has gradually become rational.

How else can in-vehicle displays be rolled up without rolling up the number of screens or the screen area? Based on the core of the full-scenario anthropomorphic interactive body, what new segments have emerged in in-vehicle displays? This article focuses on in-vehicle display technology and discusses this in detail.

A leap forward in the look and feel of traditional in-vehicle displays: integrated large-size screen + high-definition images + 3D rendering

From the large-size screen design, high-definition and delicate display quality, to the three-dimensional and realistic images, every detail of the in-car screen has been optimized to create a better viewing experience.

Specifically, the large-size, integrated front screen that runs through the center console and the co-pilot has become the mainstream; in terms of shape, the screen presents a variety of shapes such as cut angles, arcs, trapezoids, and circles based on the cockpit style.

Taking the 45-inch integrated screen of Geely Galaxy E8 as an example, the 1.13-meter-long giant wide screen connects the instrument, central control and co-pilot; in addition, the triple screen of Zhiji L6 consists of a 26.3-inch central control screen and a 15.5-inch co-pilot screen.

Geely Galaxy E8's integrated screen (Source: Geely official website)

At the same time, as consumers continue to upgrade their pursuit of car display screen quality, display screens focus on high-definition innovations such as resolution refinement and color reproduction accuracy. Gasgoo Automotive Research Institute analysts observed that at the technical level, there are currently a variety of display technologies on the market, including LCD, OLED, Mini LED, Micro LED, etc., among which LCD still occupies a mainstream position.

OLED screens have the characteristics of high contrast, wide viewing angle, fast response speed and low power consumption, and can easily realize flexible curved surface design. However, since OLED relies on organic light to emit light, its screen burn-in phenomenon makes it difficult for it to meet the strict automotive-grade standards for the time being.

In contrast, Mini LED, as a self-luminous technology, relies on the stability of inorganic light-emitting diodes and combines LCD technology to make up for the shortcomings of traditional LCDs in color gamut and contrast. Therefore, it is regarded as the first choice for future car interior display screens.

Taking into account the cost and technological maturity, OLED and Mini OLED technologies are currently used more in mid-to-high-end models, but this trend is expected to gradually expand to a wider range of models in the future.

The central control screen of Xiaomi SU7 uses Mini LED technology; NIO ET7 chooses a combination of AMOLED and Mini LED; and Yangwang U8 fully introduces OLED and Mini LED technology.

In addition, major car companies have turned to 3D interface design to improve the precision of picture rendering and enhance the competitiveness of their products. In this wave, game engine manufacturers, map manufacturers and automotive technology companies have entered the field of 3D in-vehicle display.

Among them, the Unity Engine car kit from the game engine vendor, with its powerful rendering capabilities and rich functional modules, provides 6K image quality for models such as Xiaopeng G9, Lynk & Co 08, Jiyue 01, and Xiaomi SU7. The Unreal Engine from another game engine vendor, Epic Games, with its intelligent multi-axis displacement system and automotive-grade testing standards, achieves real-time synchronization of panoramic sunroof fog adjustment, charging port opening and closing, trunk opening and closing, and vehicle status functions, bringing users a more realistic and immersive driving experience.

Map provider Baidu has also introduced 3D lane-level navigation technology in its map V20 version. With the help of 3D modeling, the navigation screen is closer to the real situation, and the navigation instructions are clearer and more specific. This version currently supports mainstream systems such as Android, iOS, Linux, QNX, and Hongmeng car machines.

The KANZI graphics engine tool chain from Thundersoft, an automotive software company, will enable 2D/2.5D graphics rendering on low-cost, low-power MCUs in the future, bringing a richer visual experience with its superior graphics and image effects and full-stack software capabilities.

HUD+CMS is accelerating its implementation, bringing a new era to in-car display

With the innovative development of technology, HUD, CMS, smart surfaces, etc. have gradually entered the public's field of vision, and the relevant markets have begun to expand. Gasgoo Automotive Research Institute predicts that the scale of the in-vehicle display market will reach 120.83 billion yuan in 2025, of which HUD and electronic rearview mirrors will contribute the main incremental market.

In-vehicle display products and their functions (Source: Gasgoo Automotive Research Institute)

In its unique way, HUD technology projects key driving information onto the windshield directly in front of the driver's line of sight through a projector, achieving seamless integration of information. In the domestic market in 2023, W-HUD still occupies a dominant position, but AR-HUD is gradually becoming a new trend in HUD technology with its advantages based on augmented reality technology, such as displaying images at a longer distance and in a larger format, as well as integrating ADAS and entertainment functions. Many high-end models such as Ideal L7, L8, L9 and NIO ES6 have taken the lead in adopting W-HUD technology, while Yangwang U8 and Wenjie M9 are leading the trend and introducing advanced AR-HUD technology.

Data from Gasgoo Automotive Research Institute shows that in 2023, the penetration rate of AR-HUD will be 1.1%, a year-on-year increase of 175%, with strong growth momentum; the price of AR-HUD equipped models has dropped to 100,000-200,000 yuan, with a penetration rate of 1.1%.

The introduction of CMS technology is an innovation in the indirect vision device of vehicles. It combines cameras and monitors to transmit road images to the rearview mirror display in real time. It is mainly divided into two categories: electronic exterior rearview mirror and streaming media interior rearview mirror.

Electronic exterior rearview mirrors can not only effectively prevent rainy weather and nighttime interference with driving vision, but can also be combined with assisted driving functions to monitor and warn of blind spots, which is in line with the trend of the times of automobile intelligence. Models such as Avita 12, Audi e-tron, BAIC Magic Cube, and Yangwang U7 have already been equipped with them.

It is particularly worth mentioning that with the implementation of GB 15084 "Performance and Installation Requirements for Indirect Vision Devices for Motor Vehicles", electronic exterior rearview mirrors have been officially legally recognized in the Chinese market, which will undoubtedly accelerate the layout of major automakers in this field. At present, mainstream brands at home and abroad have launched concept cars or mass-produced models equipped with electronic exterior rearview mirrors, and it is expected that new cars will be launched in the second half of the year and in 2025.

The streaming media rearview mirror replaces the traditional physical rearview mirror with a display screen. The camera at the rear of the car collects the image and displays it on the display screen in real time, which reduces the blind spot and greatly improves the night vision ability. It is installed in models such as Zeekr 009, Feifan R7, Trumpchi M8, and Denza D9-EV.

Zeekr 009's streaming media rearview mirror (Source: Zeekr Auto official website)