Leading global automotive supplier, Yanfeng achieved an A- listing from Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) recently. The company has been awarded a second consecutive A- rating by CDP for the group's global leadership in transparency and action on climate change in 2022. In total, nearly 15,000 companies were rated based on data which they submitted to the organization. Yanfeng also received an Environmental Leadership Award by CDP China.

CDP is a non-profit organization which operates a global disclosure system to enable investors, companies, cities, states, and regions to manage their environmental impacts. Every year, several thousand companies worldwide are analyzed about their strategic approach to the challenges of climate change and their climate management activities are rated on the basis of a comprehensive list of criteria. CDP’s annual environmental disclosure and rating process is widely recognized as the gold standard for corporate environmental transparency.  

“At Yanfeng, we strive to be proactive in our approach to mitigating climate risk.  
This rating confirms that we are on the right track,” said Gunnar Büchter, Vice President of Global Sustainability at Yanfeng. “We place great emphasis on pursuing multiple ways to reduce our CO2 footprint and increasing our sustainability. Our employees and business partners are highly motivated by environmental actions. I’m proud of what the team has accomplished and that we continue to show progress year after year.” 

Yanfeng improved its scores in value chain engagement and climate-related requirements for suppliers, as well as targets for increasing low-carbon energy consumption or production. 

Yanfeng – a leader in its peer group 

Yanfeng began reporting five years ago and has significantly improved its rating since then. The company operates in the plastic product manufacturing sector and is a leader among its peers in this industry. Yanfeng received an A- rating, which is in the Leadership band. This is considerably higher than the Asian regional average of C, and the plastic product manufacturing sector average of C. 

“As our company-wide target for carbon neutrality, we aim to achieve 100% of our total energy consumption from renewable energy sources by 2030,” said Büchter.  

All European plants converted to renewable energy by the beginning of 2022, and other regions also increased their utilization of renewable energy sources. Significant progress has been made in China. By end of 2021 a total of 30% of energy came from renewable sources. 

Yanfeng, a leading global automotive supplier, presents a new solution for integrating the passenger airbag into the instrument panel. This is an example of the cross-divisional collaboration between the Interior and Safety Business Units of the company. This new airbag module provides an integrated safety solution with reduced package size, weight, cost and improved performance, while at the same time providing greater design freedom for interior designers and engineers and a leaner manufacturing process.

Airbag modules integrated into the instrument panel typically use a separate housing and are installed in many cases at the customer location and supplied separately from the instrument panel manufacturers creating added cost and complexity in logistics and testing. Therefore, chute structures, as part of the instrument panels, and passenger airbag module housings are developed as separate parts, resulting in an interface that does not reflect potential synergies very well. The new application combines the airbag chute and module housing into a single part, reducing weight, package space consumption and overall system costs. This results in lower energy requirements to produce the passenger airbag system, as one component is omitted. The new instrument panel integrated airbag module demonstrates Yanfeng’s successful commitment in reducing the carbon footprint by 50%.

“This new integration approach is a small but very important step for a more sustainable future, and improved efficiencies in engineering and manufacturing costs for both Yanfeng and our customers. Another benefit is that with our unique safety systems and interiors integration capabilities, we can leverage synergies and achieve weight savings of up to 23%. We can offer the new passenger airbag integration for all instrument panels, and in all vehicle segments," said Mike Hague, Vice President and General Manager of Yanfeng Safety Systems in Europe and North America.

Design freedom is another advantage, as the airbag module can adapt to any instrument panel design. Less space is required due to the removal of redundant structures, approximately 10-12 mm surrounding the airbag module.

Fewer interfaces thanks to combined manufacturing assembly

In addition to redesigning the airbag-chute/housing of the passenger airbag, Yanfeng is also optimizing the manufacturing process. The idea is to integrate the airbag already within the instrument panel production line and assemble it together with it. This results in a reduction of costs, gains space and creates synergies in the development process.

In the future, this will enable the customer to procure a pre-assembled instrument panel with the airbag modules from one single source. “The improvement of the new solution is that the airbag module is an integral component of the instrument panel,” explained Hague. “This also leads to leaner project management between the supplier and the automaker.”

The new instrument panel and passenger airbag integration from Yanfeng is ready for series production for the next vehicle generation. This product was recently honored with a 2022 Altair Enlighten Award in the ‘Future of Lightweighting’ category. This is the industry’s only award dedicated to vehicle lightweighting.

Yanfeng will present a selected range of its passive safety systems portfolio at the International Symposium and Exhibition for Advanced Vehicle Safety Systems Airbag 2022 in Mannheim, Germany, on November 28-30, 2022.

Yanfeng, a leading global automotive supplier, has identified five, globally applicable aspects of luxurious experiences that can guide automotive manufacturers on the features, functions, and integrations needed to create a holistic luxury experience. These findings, defined by the company's in-house Global User Research team, will inspire the XiM23 demonstrator vehicle, a vision of digital luxury, which will be presented in Europe for the first time in November.

Changing demographics, values, societal events, and trends are altering the traditional definition and expectations of luxury. Experiences have become more important than ever, as observed in the increased value of experiences over possessions. This trend has grown even more over the last few years and has impacted luxury.

“Society’s perception of luxury has changed. Before we can apply this renewed definition of luxury to automotive, we first need to establish a clear understanding of what creates a luxurious experience, what are users’ expectations, wants, and needs,” said Beth McGough, Senior Manager, Global User Research for Yanfeng Technology. 

"Before we could look at how to create a digital luxury demonstrator vehicle, we needed the users’ perspective on what makes a luxurious experience in the first place,” explained Cathy Bailey, the company's Senior Market Research Analyst. 

Yanfeng’s Global User Research team conducted in-depth interviews with users from Germany, England, Spain, China, and the United States to better understand what creates a luxurious experience. Five key aspects of luxury were identified after carefully analyzing participants' detailed descriptions of more than 200 “luxurious” experiences. These aspects of luxury were relevant across the global audiences interviewed: service, simplicity, personalization, comfort, and control. 

Five Aspects of a Luxurious Experience:

1. Service: Users expect friendly, genuine interactions where their every need is anticipated and met.  When the needs and desires of the user are met perfectly for them, without having to ask, the user feels taken care of and special.
2. Simplicity: Users expect effortless experiences. Every task and step must be simplified or offloaded to maximize user understanding and ease of access.  In luxurious experiences it is critical for the user to disconnect from their everyday and relax, knowing immediately what to do and where to go, as if they are personally being guided.
3. Personalization: Users expect that an experience and choices are based on an understanding and anticipation of their preferences. Users willingly hand over control and relax in a luxurious experience when they feel connected and trust in a product, service, or brand. 
4. Comfort: Users experience the space as an extension of their home like a “personal cocoon.” This makes them feel relaxed and completely disconnected from their hectic, everyday life. It also allows them to be present and fully enjoy the experience.
5. Control: Users expect to set the pace or chart their course, making the decisions for what happens and when. They can also give up this control and allow things to be done for them if they choose, and they can take back control at any point in time. 

Luxurious experiences rely on intelligent orchestration and infinite flexibility of these five aspects

The findings concluded that each of the five aspects need to be present for an experience to be luxurious and that each aspect is dynamic, being fine-tuned and adjusted to be amplified or reduced to maintain the luxury experience. What the user experiences and expects from each aspect changes as the context of the experience changes.

"Luxury experiences are created when all five aspects are balanced perfectly to meet the end user’s needs,” explained Bailey. "If any singular aspect is off, the experience becomes average and is no longer luxurious."

With society’s evolved definition of luxury, it is important for automakers to offer new value or benefits that will keep a vehicle luxurious over its life to continue meeting or exceeding user’s expectations. 

“Digital technology has been considered a counterpoint to traditional luxury like two ends of a spectrum,” said McGough. “For premium automakers, the question has been deciding where on that spectrum to fall. Our findings bring clarity to this question. Luxury vehicles of the future should not be fixated on the physical features, functions, or integrations alone, but on the holistic experience those elements offer when combined with digital technology.”

Leveraging digital technology to anticipate and respond to users’ needs unlocks a truly luxurious automotive experience centered on the user. Technology enables the intelligent orchestration and the infinite flexibility needed to keep all five aspects of luxury maintained and optimized to meet users’ wants, needs, and preferences.

“The role each aspect of luxury plays is unique to every user and experience,” said Tim Shih, Vice President, Design and User Experience for Yanfeng Technology. “Weaving together traditional, premium features with the latest innovations and technologies will craft an in-vehicle experience that is greater than the sum of its parts, able to provide renewed value that reflects society’s changing definition of luxury. We used the results of this study to inspire our XiM23 concept car, which will be presented in Europe for the first time in November.”
 

The XiM23 demonstrator is a vision of future luxury from leading global automotive supplier, Yanfeng. Inspired by the company’s recently released Luxury Research Study, the XiM23 uses interior experience modes to show the company’s broad integration capabilities, where digital technologies and innovations transform the interior’s features into a user-centric, luxury experience.

The findings of the Luxury Research Study identified five aspects of luxury that must be present for an experience to become and remain luxurious. These findings, compiled from interviews describing over 200 luxurious experiences from five countries, show what’s important to users when it comes to luxury.

“After our Global Research Team analyzed the data, we had a clear picture of five key aspects of luxury: Simplicity, Service, Personalization, Control, and Comfort,” said Global User Research Senior Manager Beth McGough. “Each user will have a different and continuously fluctuating combination of these five aspects to create their luxurious experience. Based on our findings, enabling luxury requires the automotive experience to constantly adapt to users' changing needs and expectations in the vehicle."

"When discussing how luxury will evolve, two schools of thought emerge in discussions with our customers," said Tim Shih, VP of Design and User Experience. "The first is a focus on digital technology driving the user experience, while the second relies on traditional symbols of luxury like premium materials and finishes. What our research revealed – and what we've explored in the XiM23 – is that a luxury solution is not one or the other, but rather a dynamic combination of both to create holistic and highly personalized interior experiences."

Calm & Rich Modes unlock users’ luxury experiences

Through unique experience modes, the XiM23 shows how traditionally luxurious features can be elevated with technology integrations, becoming infinitely flexible and intelligently orchestrated to address the five aspects of luxury, meeting users’ wants, needs, and preferences.  

"Over the last two years, our team has planned every interaction in the XiM23," said User Interface Global Design Director Andreas Deubzer. "From a user interface perspective, this is one of the most significant concept vehicles Yanfeng has ever undertaken. The integration of digital technology enables greater flexibility and new opportunities for the interior to adapt to users' changing wants and needs."

Connected to a mobile app, the XiM23 recognizes passengers, adjusting its settings to the preferences designated by the driver. Upon approach, the XiM23’s mono-post front seats pivot and the rear seats slide forward for easy ingress, serving as a welcome to occupants. This initial experience, known as Calm Mode, is visually simple and elegant. No screens are present and the ambient lighting of the interior is soft and airy.

“Lighting plays an important role in the XiM23,” noted John Vincent, Principal Designer and Design Lead for the project. “Aesthetically, it helps us to create the right atmosphere in the cabin and spotlight design features, as you see in our doors, floor console and instrument panel that look as though they’re floating. Lighting is also a communication tool, guiding the user on how to engage or control features as they go through each experience mode.”

Once the XiM23 recognizes that the driver is settled, the front seats return to their forward-facing positions, and the steering wheel, outfitted with secret-till-lit lighting and controls, illuminates. Simultaneously, a slim, curved, pillar-to-pillar 8K display rises from the instrument panel, as well as two slim touch displays nestled in the floor console.

When users desire to transition from the serene Calm Mode to the more interactive experience of Rich Mode, the power is in their hands via the multi-controller, a “phygital” innovation combining a physical dial with gestural controls and interactive smart surfaces. By hovering a hand over the multi-controller for a few seconds, the Rich Mode experience is activated, and the interior begins to change dramatically. The ambient lighting tones of the interior shift and brighten and the instrument panel display rises from 50mm to 100mm, revealing additional features and offerings for occupants to select. The two center console displays extend fully, accessible for all occupants and providing additional options for service, personalization, and comfort.

Autonomous driving enables more immersive, rich experiences

In both the Calm and Rich experience modes, the vehicle defaults to a manual driving scenario with level two assisted driving features such as blind spot monitoring, hands-off detection, and forward collision warning augmented with interior lighting. When users are ready for a level four autonomous experience it’s as simple as clicking the steering wheel’s illuminated “Autodrive” button. 

"Including level four autonomy in the XiM23 concept allowed the team to further explore interior experiences, unconstrained by the safety requirements of manual driving,” said Shih. “For Yanfeng, this broadened scope is a glimpse into the future, showcasing how mobility experiences can evolve as autonomous technology advances."

As the XiM23 transitions to fully autonomous, multi-sensory experiences become fully immersive. Lighting is further enhanced with overhead illumination and projections, while all four seats recline. In the rear, passengers enjoy a deep, zero-gravity position plus massage with Yanfeng's Hover Seat. A theater-like ambiance brings all eyes to the front of the cabin, where the pillar-to-pillar display fully extends to 200mm for users to enjoy music, movies, or other content tailored to their journey.

"The XiM23 concept evolves Yanfeng's eXperience in Motion (XiM) principle into the luxury segment. Society's shifting values, which Yanfeng first examined in its 2018 Quality of Life study and further pursued with this most recent luxury research study, reflect a continuous shift away from possessions and towards experiences,” said Shih. “With a complete automotive portfolio including seating, safety, cockpit electronics, and interiors, Yanfeng is well positioned to deliver new and compelling experiences into the automotive and future mobility space.”

The XiM23 demonstrator vehicle will be featured at the company’s European headquarters in Neuss, Germany, until spring 2023. For more information, please visit: www.yanfeng.com/en/xim23. 

Yanfeng (YF), a leading global automotive supplier, recognized the excellent performance of its European suppliers with its annual Supplier Awards. During a ceremony at the company’s European Headquarters in Neuss, a total of 13 suppliers yesterday received the awards in two categories.

With one "Distinguished Supplier" and twelve "Supplier Excellence" winners in five sub-categories, YF evaluated its suppliers according to several criteria. The company’s vision of technology and innovation, as well as sustainability, were particularly important. Moreover, quality, cost, service and customer satisfaction were also assessed.

“With our annual award we recognize the outstanding performance of our best partners during the past year”, said James Bos, Vice President Global Procurement at YF. “Our suppliers play an important role in our success in delivering and exceeding our customers’ expectations. Therefore, we want to honor their performance with these awards – especially at this unique time in our industry.”

In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to impact supply chains. The major global challenges in the automotive business and the current industry environment remained unchanged.

“In light of all that is going on in the industry, sustainability continues to become increasingly important throughout the world. It has emerged as a key selection criterion for all global customers. Yanfeng’s focus is to develop sustainable products and processes to reduce our carbon footprint. Most importantly, we want to achieve our goal of carbon neutrality as fast as possible,” explained Gunnar Buechter, Vice President Sustainability at YF, who is also responsible for Procurement in Europe and South Africa.
The Supplier Awards event focused on the hard work and consistent efforts of companies across YF's supply base.

“There's no denying that our industry continues to face challenges, but after the year we've been through together, it's more important than ever that we take the time to show our appreciation to our suppliers,” Buechter added.

The award recipients from Europe were:

Distinguished Supplier Award:

• BASF Polyurethanes GmbH, Germany

Supplier Excellence Award – Quality:

• Industrias Alegre S.A., Spain

Supplier Excellence Award – Customer Satisfaction:

• DSSI International, LLC    Slovakia
• SIGIT d.o.o., Serbia

Supplier Excellence Award – Sustainability:

• HOFFMANN + VOSS GmbH, Germany

Supplier Excellence Award – Technology and Innovation:

• SemsoTec GmbH, Germany
• Lightworks GmbH, Germany

Supplier Excellence Award – Service:

• CTP, Czech Republic
• Milsped d.o.o., Serbia
• Prewave GmbH, Austria
• Schneider Electric SE, France
• SPARETECH GmbH, Germany
• Weber GmbH & Co. KG, Germany

Ratings focus on Yanfeng’s performance, as well as engagement of supply base

– Leading global automotive supplier, Yanfeng recently received an A minus rating from CDP on the company’s performance on Climate Change. In addition, Yanfeng also received an A rating on Supplier Engagement. CDP is a not-for-profit that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states, and regions to manage their environmental impacts.

To receive its rating, the company completed a questionnaire focused on the areas of business strategy and financial planning; value chain engagement; targets; emission reduction initiatives; Scope 1, 2 emissions; Scope 3 emissions; energy; governance; opportunity disclosure as well as risk disclosure and risk management processes.

Yanfeng began reporting several years ago and has substantially improved its rating. It also is a leader amongst peer companies in our industry.

In addition to Yanfeng’s corporate performance rating, the company was also recently notified of its Supplier Engagement rating of A. This rating puts the company in the Leadership Band amongst its peers. CDP evaluates organizations' engagement with their suppliers on climate change. By evaluating supplier engagement and recognizing best practices, CDP aims to accelerate global action on supply chain emissions.

“Sustainability in all areas of our business is a core part of Yanfeng’s strategy. Not only does Yanfeng focus on our own performance in this area, but we also closely monitor the performance of our supply base and regularly engage with them,” said Gerald Jia, CEO, Yanfeng. “We are proud of what the team has accomplished and our CDP ratings.”

In the area of climate reduction, Yanfeng has commitments in multiple areas. The company has a sustainability roadmap with goals related to Corporate Carbon Footprint Scopes 1, 2, and 3, which can be found in its most recent Corporate Social Responsibility Report. In addition, Yanfeng conducts a Risk and Opportunity Assessment that has Emission Reduction Targets for each region and has increased its use of renewable energy sources.

Currently, all locations in Europe are powered by renewable energy, with other regions increasing their use as well. In addition, Yanfeng has started work on six additional solar panel projects with the company’s partners globally to produce energy at its plants. The first project in Neustadt, Germany recently launched.

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About CDP

CDP is a global environmental impact non-profit, providing a platform for companies, cities, states, and regions to report information on their climate, deforestation and water security impacts. The global economy looks to CDP as the gold standard of environmental reporting, and we hold the world’s richest and most comprehensive dataset on how companies, cities, states and regions measure, understand and address their environmental impacts. We aim to make environmental reporting mainstream, providing the detailed insights and analysis to drive the urgent action needed for a climate-safe, deforestation-free and water-secure world.

Yanfeng, a leading global automotive supplier, presents the Zero Gravity Seat, a new, production-ready seat technology. The company has combined its interiors, safety, electronics, and seating expertise in an all-new ergonomic seating design – the Zero Gravity Seat.

With the new seat, Yanfeng is showcasing how the company leverages its capabilities and engineering expertise based on end-user insights and automaker needs. The result is a wide range of applications for use in spacious passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, mini-buses and shared-mobility-solutions such as autonomous ridesharing vehicles.

“Through consumer clinics and product roadshows we received feedback that the new, ultimate feeling of comfortable, weightless relaxation is appealing,” said Chunfeng Xu, Vice President & General Manager of Yanfeng Seating in Europe. “What surprises any user is the overall performance of the seat, offering more convenience in any position, safety protection and state-of-the-art control over the electronic features of the seat and other in-car comfort and entertainment.” Optional, available functions such as a massage function, seat heating and ventilation or an electric four-way adjustable headrest enhance passenger comfort. A sound system can be integrated in the area of the shoulder part of the seat, offering a discretely integrated set of speakers for private, cocoon-like audio enjoyment. With a touch-sensitive control unit, which is embedded in the soft surface of the armrest, all functions can be used intuitively.

When it comes to kinematics, the new seat features weightless relaxation in the Zero Gravity mode, which allows passengers to recline the seat up to 126° (angle torso to thighs) at the touch of a button. The backrest of the new seat can be fully reclined, creating a feeling of Zero Gravity weightlessness that allows passengers to unwind.

The integrated seat belt provides even support, and with a restraint system to ensure safety in any position. Thanks to the company's own passive safety systems portfolio, this can also be sourced from a single source.

The Zero Gravity Seat offers added value for vehicle manufacturers

The functionality of the seat can be tailored to automaker needs, such as the choice of rotation, horizontal movement, manual or electric long rails. “All features and functions can be seamlessly integrated into the seat with our smart surface technologies, that can be customized to an automaker’s needs. This offers personalization as well as functionality on demand, and it is only visible when needed,” said Chunfeng Xu.

The weightless seating comfort is ideal for vans, Sport Utility Vehicles as well as Crossover Utility Vehicles and can be found on the road in Europe in 2024.

Watch the seat in action on Yanfeng's YouTube channel at the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DT0oiLad9s

Yanfeng, a leading global automotive supplier, has completed construction on a new manufacturing site in Kragujevac, Serbia. The plant will launch production by summer 2022. The company plans to create about 500 new jobs over the next few years.

“With our new seating plant in Kragujevac, we are responding to market demand and expanding our product portfolio in Europe,” said Chunfeng Xu, General Manager of Yanfeng Seating in Europe. Yanfeng will manufacture seat components for various customers in a production area of approximately 20,000-square-meters. The plant will be set up to flexibly adapt to changing capacity requirements and enable the company to provide complete seats in Europe.

The new plant in the Šumadija district is Yanfeng’s second location in Serbia. Since 2019, Yanfeng has operated an interior component plant in Kragujevac. Furthermore, the manufacturing network includes two plants in Czech Republic, as well as other sites in Slovakia and Hungary. With the new plant in Serbia, Yanfeng will also reinforce its presence in the Eastern European growth markets, while maintaining a strong and dedicated presence in Western Europe.

Yanfeng, a leading global automotive supplier, presented the new Experience in Motion 2021 (XiM21) concept car for the first time in Europe today. During a virtual event, Yanfeng showcased its Smart Cabin capabilities for future vehicle interiors and how its holistic digital and physical solutions are seamlessly integrated to enhance in-car experience. The new concept offers advanced technologies and user-centric product solutions that are production-ready for next generation vehicles.

Influenced by global megatrends and based on Yanfeng’s complete product portfolio, the design of the XiM21 visualizes how the company transforms Smart Cabin concepts into reality. The concept car provides an extraordinary, customizable environment, connected services, and seamlessly integrated intuitive interaction technology that respond to passengers’ needs and desires based on personal preferences and specific use case scenarios.

Focusing on technology and in-depth consumer research, Yanfeng is redefining its Smart Cabin approach. “At Yanfeng, we have been exploring technical, societal, and industrial trends as well as future mobility trends for years. With our XiM20 that we presented last year, we demonstrated our first Smart Cabin concept – a very visionary mobility experience for future autonomous ride-sharing. Today, the debut of our XiM21 is an example of our continued efforts to provide customers with the most advanced production-ready technologies and product solutions that are tailored for unique user experiences,” said Tim Shih, Vice President Design and User Experience at Yanfeng Technology.

All displays, smart surfaces, and components in the XiM21 have been designed for intuitive interaction. For the driver, the dual 12.3" curved display serves as a central control unit for the cabin environment, while an additional sliding 10.1” display in the instrument panel enables the front-seat passenger to comfortably engage and interact with the vehicle’s settings and infotainment system. It also allows the front-seat passenger to keep an eye on children in the back and control the content they watch.

Combination of digital and physical capabilities for customized in-car experiences
With integrated sensors and smart technologies, the XiM21 connects with end-users and responds directly to their wants and needs. By using pre-set preferences and adjusting to real-time inputs, the XiM21’s cabin is tailored to its passengers. Using a mobile app linked to the XiM21, the driver can create a personal profile, entering their height, weight, and a scanned image of their face. With this profile, the XiM21 will adjust automatically to its driver, generating an optimized seating and safety configuration. The app also enables easy adjustment of the interior’s temperature, preferred scent, or ambient lighting so users can pre-configure their vehicle before they board. The built-in child seat can also be controlled by the app, allowing parents to stow the child seat away to create more space in the second row with the touch of a button.

Thanks to the facial recognition system, the driver is recognized as soon as they step into the vehicle. After identifying the driver, the Smart Cabin adjusts all the pre-settings and welcomes him on board with lighting, a welcome animation, and a verbal greeting from the on-board system. Safety features like hands-off-detection in the steering wheel and fatigue detection for the driver are fully integrated in the Smart Cabin. This way, early warnings for either system can be communicated with lighting, vibrations in the steering wheel and seat, and automatic seat belt-tightening. Dynamic and indirect decorative lighting are complemented by best-in-class audio offerings, such as the 3D Sound System that brings high-quality audio to the entire cabin as well as private audio that allows passengers to listen to their own media without disturbing others.

“By combining physical features and digital intelligence, we can enhance the interactions between occupants, as well as between occupants and the vehicle itself. Our Smart Cabin concept XiM21 enables positive experiences on-board, whether for personal or business use, with family or with colleagues. From the overall concept down to individual technologies and features, the innovations integrated into XiM21 are selected and synchronized to support positive user experiences and truly demonstrate Yanfeng’s idea of Smarter Mobility Together,” said Han Hendriks, Chief Technology Officer at Yanfeng Technology.

Smart interior surfaces on demand ensure less distraction
Intuitive smart surfaces abound within the XiM21. Capacitive touch sensing combined with haptic vibration feedback offer a safe and intuitive user experience in the doors, instrument panel, overhead console, and seats.
These smart surfaces serve as high-quality decorative surfaces when inactive to reduce visual distraction and create a seamless cabin environment. When needed, they activate with just a simple touch.

One domain controller orchestrates all features and functions
All of XiM21’s interactive technologies and features, from cameras and sensors to touch displays and smart surfaces to climate control and seat positions, are orchestrated by Yanfeng’s own Smart Cabin Controller. Based on collected input from integrated sensors combined with users’ set preferences, the XiM21 Smart Cabin automatically adjusts the interior ambiance through climate, scent, audio, and lighting. By combining these with a flexible interior, XiM21 offers new forms of interaction that bring surprise and delight and delivers true Experience in Motion.

Flexible interiors and personal well-being are key for future mobility
XiM21’s Smart Cabin also offers flexible and multi-functional space to address different use cases and passenger needs. Throughout the interior, solutions like the built-in child seat are designed to be adaptable. This powered child seat can transform into a footrest for the third-row passenger when not being occupied, and, also slides forward to facilitate ingress and egress to the third row.

Also supporting different uses, the sliding floor console aboard XiM21 can move quickly between the front and rear of the cabin when summoned by voice command or the touch of a button. With heated and cooled cupholders, a wireless charging station, and a powered deployable folding table, this “smart companion” floor console maximizes its value in the cabin with its flexible and functional solutions. In order to enhance passenger well-being as well as seating comfort, Yanfeng developed a Zero-Gravity Seat which offers enhanced relaxation in its fully reclined position. Supported by the Smart Cabin Controller, the first and third-row seats adjust automatically to maximize space for the reclining passenger.
With the integrated massage function activated and combined with calming scents, ambient lighting, and soothing sounds, passengers can truly unwind and escape their daily routine with the Zero Gravity Seat.

“Intuitive features, functions, and interfaces are essential to the end-user experience,” said Han Hendriks. “Thanks to our broad product portfolio, digital capabilities, and combined experiences across all of our business units, we are able to deliver comprehensive system solutions to our customers.”

In response to digital transformation and the evolving needs of users, Yanfeng will continue to actively pursue, develop, and integrate technology innovations that inspire and stimulate the imagination, redefine future mobility, and deliver an exciting Experience in Motion.

Yanfeng, a leading global automotive supplier, and SemsoTec, an expert in displays and control units, have announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding for collaboration in display and sensor technologies, components and products for automotive applications.

The partnership strives to create a unique in-vehicle user experience by accelerating seamless Human Machine Interface (HMI) integration into all surfaces of future vehicle interiors. It extends to development, production and commercialization of automotive components.

“SemsoTec and Yanfeng are a perfect fit. Together we can offer innovative and integrated solutions tailored to our customers’ needs in the automotive industry," said Han Hendriks, Chief Technology Officer at Yanfeng Technology.
“By combining our expertise, we can accelerate design and development activities, providing advantages for our customers along the entire value chain."

“With Yanfeng we can expand our activities in the automotive industry and focus on bringing next-generation HMI into vehicles for all customers and markets,” said Jochen Semmelbauer, CEO and founder of SemsoTec.