Hyundai Mobis unveils world’s first QL display for vehicles

South Korea’s top auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis Co. said on Thursday it has developed an innovative premium display for vehicles – the first of its kind in the industry – as automakers increasingly demand high-end products for in-vehicle infotainment and entertainment systems.

Hyundai Mobis, a unit of Hyundai Motor Group, said the QL display, short for quantum dot and local dimming display, is characterized by the large size of the screen, high definition and slim design, using a fusion of innovative technologies targeting luxury vehicles.

It said the new automotive display combines quantum dot technology, often used in OLED screens for improved color reproduction, and local dimming technology, which creates clear images by enhancing the contrast between bright and dark colors.

Currently, OLED panels, or organic light-emitting diode panels, are widely used in high-end automotive displays. Such panels are usually priced higher than common displays.

Hyundai Mobis, an affiliate of Hyundai Motor Co., said its QL display not only matches an OLED screen in terms of performance but is also price competitive.

The new display features a 27-inch curved screen that stretches from the driver’s seat to the front passenger’s seat for a wider view. The 14.5-millimeter-thick screen can be further slimmed to 10 mm on customer request, the company said.

“We expect to win orders for the new premium automotive display from large carmakers in the US and Europe,” said a company official.

Hyundai Mobis plans to showcase its latest vehicle display technology at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024 in January.

A SERIES OF INDUSTRY FIRSTS

The company’s QL display follows a series of its “industry firsts” in the vehicle display segment.

In April, Hyundai Mobis unveiled the world’s first roll-up display for an in-vehicle infotainment system, which it claimed will revolutionize the industry by allowing for highly flexible interior design.

The rollable display form factor had largely been adopted in smartphones and TVs before Hyundai Mobis unveiled its rollable screen for vehicles.

Users can adjust the display size depending on the situation. When rolled up, the display takes up minimal space, creating new options for interior design, it said.

The screen can be rolled out to more than 30 inches and offers four driving modes with different screen sizes in quad high-definition (QHD) resolution.

Company executives said in June they expect to begin mass production of its roll-up screens within three years.

In May 2022, Hyundai Mobis unveiled a curved 34-inch swivel automotive display – the world’s first – that allows the driver a wider view.

BUSINESS GOAL

Executives said the company aims to achieve $5.35 billion in overseas orders for core auto parts this year, of which automotive displays and other vehicle components will account for $1.83 billion, or a third of the total.

Hyundai Mobis invested more than 1 trillion won ($770 million) annually in R&D over the past three years.

According to a recent tally by Automotive News, Hyundai Mobis ranked sixth on the top 100 global auto parts supplier list after Germany's Bosch, Japan's Denso, Germany's ZF, Canada's Magna International and China's Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL).

CATL entered the list as the US media outlet newly included battery makers.

In tandem with the industry’s shift to autonomous driving and electrification, the global automotive display market is expected to grow from $9 billion this year to $14 billion by 2027, according to Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), a display market research firm.

Write to Sungsu Bae at baebae@hankyung.com

In-Soo Nam edited this article.