Comfortable, functional, full of character
If cars are self-propelled in the future, passengers will have plenty of time for other things. Cars will become mobile offices, living-rooms or cafés. What will the interiors for these things look like?
Otmar Rauchensteiner: The significance of interiors will definitely increase. With autonomous driving, passengers will expect completely new ways of using car interiors. The focus will not only be on individualization, but also on high-quality appearance and perfect workmanship, since passengers will have more time and leisure to see what amenities they have in their cars.
What interior concepts will we be seeing in car-sharing vehicles?
In both car-sharing and robotaxis, several customers will use the car within a short space of time. Soiling and ways of avoiding soiling will be an important issue, e.g. with easy-care or maybe even self-cleaning surfaces.
What are the trends that will shape the interior in 10 years’ time?
We have found that car buyers, including our customers, are becoming more concerned about the car’s ecological footprint. Tesla, for example, is not offering any leather-covered equipment, they only have artificial leather surfaces. But is that really the better solution? Is leather as an abattoir byproduct less sustainable than artificial leather that is made with a high degree of energy and resource consumption?
Will we be seeing completely new materials in cars in the future?
There are interesting innovative textiles that are being used today, for things such as athletic shoes, like the self-cleaning textiles we already mentioned.
Where do you and your team get your inspiration for future interior trends?
We’re on the lookout worldwide – at furniture and sports fairs or at textile events – to pick up current trends. Of course we also get inspiration straight from our customers and partners. We discuss research and advance development issues with them and never fail to find new approaches.
The whole interview appeared in the Automobil Industrie journal.
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About
DRÄXLMAIER Group
The DRÄXLMAIER Group supplies premium automobile manufacturers worldwide with complex wiring harness systems, central electrical and electronic components, exclusive interiors, and battery systems for electromobility. The combination of core competencies in the interior, electrical, electronic and battery systems areas makes DRÄXLMAIER unique in the industry. The company thereby covers the entire process chain, from the initial idea, through the development and production process, and up to precisely in-sequence delivery of the products to the assembly lines of premium automobile manufacturers. The inventor of the customer-specific wiring harness, the DRÄXLMAIER Group develops pioneering wiring harness technology as well as electrical and electronic components, all directly in-house. These include multi-voltage and high-voltage wiring harness systems, battery management systems and intelligent power distributors. DRÄXLMAIER is working on the future of emission-free mobility with its solution for low-voltage and high-voltage battery systems. As a market leader for interior systems in premium automobiles, the DRÄXLMAIER Group also supplies premium automobile manufacturers with ambient lighting, center consoles, door panels and instrument panels, as well as complete door and cockpit modules.
The DRÄXLMAIER Group is an international automotive supplier with about 65 sites in over 20 countries. Founded in Germany in 1958, the company employs about 74,000 employees throughout the world. For the DRÄXLMAIER Group as an owner-managed business, responsible and long-range thinking has always been the basis for economic success. It is therefore a core element of its strategy to design its business and production processes, as well as its products, in a more sustainable manner and in that way to increase the competitiveness of the company on a long-term basis.
In 2022, the DRÄXLMAIER Group generated sales of 5.1 billion euro. Customers of this member of the Top 100 Automotive Suppliers include Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Porsche and Volkswagen, as well as Californian automotive manufacturers.