Visteon Showcases Cutting-Edge Displays for Automotive at CES 2018

The last decade has seen an increasing use of LCD displays in cars, primarily rectangular screens on dashboards to display navigation, communications and stereo controls. At CES, an automotive electronics supplier showed off its latest LCD panels that will replace analog gauges on dashboards.

Visteon's show moved away from the mundane, run-of-the-mill LCD panels to the truly cutting-edge, a plastic OLED technology that promised low energy consumption, vivid colors and a very thin form factor.

Automakers will likely find LCD displays to be more cost-effective than analog gauges on the dashboard. Every car instrument needs to be customized for each car, with a specific style and placement of warning lights. With LCD displays, automakers can fit the same unit into multiple models and program it with different looks.

Despite years of development, OLED screens are already used in the production of televisions, and the technology will soon find its way into cars. The big challenge with this technology is making the screen last for years and survive the harsh environment of a car.

Its advantages are many, one is that the thin factor can be adapted to curved surfaces, giving car designers more freedom in dashboard design. The low power consumption makes them particularly suitable for electric vehicles as they won't hit the range.

Another Visteon concept designed for self-driving cars uses a large 4K display. As the driver drives, the display can display important driving information and even warn the car's sensors of obstacles. If the driver switches to autonomous driving mode, she can use the 4K monitor for entertainment, video calls, or anything else.