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Automotive Interiors Handbook 2006
IMS Automotive Publishing, March 2006, Pages: 390
A mixed scene
A review of the automotive interiors sector reveals a mixed scene. From the business standpoint there is a distinct whiff of crisis surrounding the industry as suppliers of components and systems struggle to maintain financial equilibrium. Margins continue to be squeezed markedly due to constant demands from vehicle manufacturing customers for reductions in unit costs, coupled with higher charges for inputs such as energy and raw materials. This is occurring throughout the component community with Tier 1 suppliers reacting to customer pressures for lower prices and exacting similar requests on their own suppliers at the Tier 2 and Tier 3 levels.
Under these circumstances it is hardly surprising that companies have collapsed and others required bail-outs. The highest profile casualties in the automotive interiors sector have been US-based groups for the most part, including Delphi which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and Visteon which has been spared a similar fate thanks to the intervention of Ford, its former parent. In mid-May 2005 Collins & Aikman, one of the world's largest suppliers of automotive interiors, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
In contrast, the industry has never appeared more vibrant when measured in terms of innovation and new product development. A trawl around the 2005 IAA Show in Frankfurt, for example, provided a guide to the impressive new thinking and technological advances which are evident in current models and concept vehicles alike.
Prospects for 2006 suggest more of the same. Concern over the future course of demand in key Western markets suggests that output volumes may fall among selected vehicle manufacturing customers. Certainly the recently announced cutbacks by the two principal North American vehicle producers, Ford and GM, highlights the serious structural issues facing the vehicle manufacturing sector, and indicates a tough time ahead for suppliers of components and systems generally. Meanwhile, the current year is expected to see a number of important developments on the product front as vehicle interiors assume an increasingly important role in specification and customer choice.
The Importance of Interiors
External styling, engine performance and fuel economy, along with several other attributes, have been and remain important considerations among consumers in the car buying process. Recent years have seen a growing recognition on the part of vehicle manufacturers of the increasingly critical role of interiors in the choice process. There are strong reasons why this should have been so and why it is anticipated that interiors will play a key role in the future.
For a start, ever greater congestion in city centres and urban areas of many markets means that drivers and other occupants are spending longer periods in the vehicle and therefore appreciate attractive, harmonious and sympathetic surroundings. The period when many vehicle interiors were plain dull and contained the minimum of 'home comforts' has given way to one where consumers expect to be cosseted in a high degree of comfort and with access to a variety of functions aimed at minimising hassle and maximising satisfaction.
The design and specification of interiors have a major influence on a variety of aspects which set the tone for the entire vehicle and hence are widely regarded by the industry and consumers as essential or highly desirable. These include especially safety, comfort and refinement.
The nature of the car is changing in a way that has encouraged interior developments. Most obviously the growing prevalence of advance information, entertainment and communication systems has necessarily resulted in significant changes to interior design and development. In a sense the car has become an extension to the home and office.
The introduction of new materials, new finishes and new manufacturing and assembly procedures have broadened greatly the techniques at the disposal of the wide range of personnel, from designers to product engineers, with responsibility for vehicle interiors. Given the inherent tendency for designers to embrace change and experiment, it is natural that innovation should be such a strong characteristic in the specification of vehicle interiors.
It is little wonder, therefore, that vehicle manufacturers are using interiors more and more as a means of securing a competitive advantage in the global marketplace.
Study layout
Automotive Interiors Handbook 2006 provides a review and analysis of the automotive interiors industry and builds upon the specialisation of us within this sector. In addition to providing the latest news and developments concerning interior systems with regard to product areas and companies, it brings together some of the key themes which are forecast to fulfill a prominent part in the future generation of interiors.
The report is divided into six main sections which examine:
- State of the Industry
- Key Themes
- Product Areas
- Materials
- Concept Cars
- Company Profiles
- Directory of Interior Parts Suppliers
Product samples
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