KEY SHOW THEMES TOP 5 PRODUCTION CARS TOP 5 CONCEPT CARS INTERIOR INNOVATIONS EXTERIOR INNOVATIONS TRADE SHOW EXTRAS

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1 KEY SHOW THEMES TOP 5 PRODUCTION CARS TOP 5 CONCEPT CARS INTERIOR INNOVATIONS EXTERIOR INNOVATIONS TRADE SHOW EXTRAS

2 Enhanced Interior Lighting Interior lighting is increasingly becoming an extra aspect for designers to play with; defining space, creating moods at different times of day and highlighting details or novel parts of the interior. Lighting is no longer the preserve of premium cars, filtering all the way down to A and B mainstream segments. Most notable in Shanghai were the lit air vents and backlit translucent dash of the Mercedes GLA. While at Seoul, the highlight was the changing color coming from inside the Kia Cub s air vents. 1. Chery Ant Mercedes GLA 4. Buick Riviera 5+6. Kia Cub

3 No Visible Air Vent Rather than defining specific nodes for air to enter the cabin, concepts at both Shanghai and Seoul were increasingly moving towards nondefined air-vent location, instead, using surface split lines, material junctions or patterns that are integrated into the dashboard to heat and cool the cabin. It gives a simpler, cleaner look and allows greater space for increasingly important (and larger) digital interfaces. This concept sits hand-in-hand with the splitlayer IP trend (see page 5). 1. Toyota FT-HT 2. Buick Riviera 3. Chery Ant2 4. BAIC LF 5. Nissan Friend-ME

4 Tesla-like Tablet Screen Ever since the ipad first appeared, tablet-like screens and interfaces in cars have been appearing be it as ipads fixed into the interior or as screens which try to mimic the touchscreen devices consumers so love. However, it is clearly the production Tesla Model S the largest in the industry at 17, portrait oriented touchscreen that is inspiring the latest generation. The offerings from BAIC, Nissan, Chery and Geely in particular, stand out for being large, center-stack dominating devices in portrait orientation just like Tesla s. 1. Haval H7 2. Nissan Friend-ME 3. Mercedes GLA 4. BAIC LF 5. Chery Ant2 6. Geely KC

5 Split-Layered IP Sitting hand-in-hand with the no vents trend (see page 3), the split-layer IP sees the upper segment of the dashboard, layered over the main carcass, often with a shadow or physical gap, to emphasize that it s a different surface. Like with the exterior layering trend, this treatment can make the dashboard seem lighter and less voluminous, but also provides a good opportunity to use a different material or create a natural color change. In some cases this surface leads to a natural focus point on the driver gauge pack area. 1. Chang An CS95 2. BAIC LF 3. Nissan Friend-ME 4. Buick Riviera 5. Chery Alpha7

6 Color: No Black In Europe, the most popular and common car interior color remains black (or at least dark grey) with many manufacturers offering few alternative options for the color and trim of their IPs, seats, door cards and carpets. The Chinese consumer, however, is much more adventurous when it comes to interior color, which is perhaps why Shanghai s show cars brought a riot of color to the party with very little black to be found. Even mainstream sedans tended to be trimmed in light greys, creams, whites and beige. 1. Volkswagen PCP Concept 2. Tonji Auto Concept 3. BAIC LF Concept 4. Mercedes GLA 5. Porsche Panamera E-cell 6. Maserati Ghibli 7. Lamborghini Aventador LP Aniversario 8. Koenigsegg Agera R

7 Hyundai Equus by Hermès A one-off show car, with a second version for the exclusive use of the chairman of Hyundai Motor Company, the Equus by Hermès was the second major brand collaboration shown by Hyundai at its home auto show in Seoul. Featuring grey with a brown exterior, the interior was finished predominantly in Hermès signature tan leather, with crocodile skin on the door cards and Hermès accessories fitted into the center armrest of the rear seat.

8 China s car market is booming; unlike in Europe or the US, Chinese consumers are prioritizing cars as desirable consumer goods As an important precursor to the Shanghai show, we visited Seoul Motor Show where South Korean brands, like Hyundai, debuted models that were not seen later in Shanghai Taking place from March 28th to April 7th, Seoul Motor Show drew record crowds, pulling in 340,000 visitors on the opening weekend alone Auto Shanghai was held from April 21st-29th and also drew huge numbers of car enthusiasts, expecting a staggering 800,000 visitors Chinese car brands are becoming much more sophisticated: they are employing experienced European or American designers to elevate their products Chinese brands are also emphasizing luxury through heritage and quality Both domestic and international brands are appealing to the Chinese customer with unusual interior color combinations, advanced technologies and personalization Collaborations are key to add value to a brand, whether with fashion companies, industrial designers or even with Apple