Yanfeng, one of the world’s leading automotive suppliers and a specialist in Smart Cabin concepts, and IEE, a leading provider of sensor solutions in the automotive sector, are jointly developing an integrated technology vision for the vehicle interiors of the future. “Active Space” is their interpretation of an interactive interior in an autonomous, level 5 vehicle.

New forms of mobility, such as autonomous driving, ride-sharing and car-sharing, are changing automotive interiors. If driving tasks are largely eliminated or require less time, this frees drivers up for other activities. That is why the interiors of the future will have to cover a variety of different use case scenarios. Intuitive, interactive, and convenient concepts always focused on the user experience will play an increasingly important role. Therefore, Yanfeng is pursuing its Smart Cabin approach for intelligent passenger compartments, in which functional surfaces, health and wellness features and connectivity are seamlessly integrated into the interior in the future.

“New mobility services, such as autonomous ride-sharing, pose enormous challenges for us as interiors experts – but also give us the opportunity to be creative and come up with something new,” explained Han Hendriks, Chief Technology Officer at Yanfeng Technology. “With Active Space, we are giving passengers a way to interact with the vehicle and thereby bringing our Smart Cabin vision to life.”

In its Experience in Motion 2020 (XiM20) concept car, Yanfeng shows how this technology vision might actually look in a Smart Cabin concept for fully autonomous vehicles.

Interactive interior experience with intuitive control

Active Space portrays the all-encompassing experience that may be offered with sensor technology and surface integration in the interiors of the future. Integrated into the rear zone of the XiM20 cabin, Active Space offers occupants a way to retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and create a feel-good atmosphere through playful interaction. The intuitive and interactive sensor solution is based on Yanfeng’s interior design and smart surfaces as well as IEE’s sensor technology. A near-infrared stereo camera serves as input device and captures the vehicle interior, while powerful algorithms used in conjunction with the Smart Cabin Controller control the lighting experience on the translucent textile surfaces in real-time based on the analyzed movements. In this way, Active Space offers a tailored human-machine interface (HMI) solution that integrates seamlessly into interior surfaces.

In the XiM20, the smart surfaces switch between four different modes, depending on the situation. For example, there is a blue Energy mode and a violet/orange Relax mode. When the UV surface sanitizer is activated, Active Space displays blue bubbles. In stand-by mode, the surfaces stay white. In general, Active Space can also be configured with customized designs. Travelers can interact intuitively with the vehicle thanks to the combination of sensor technology and smart surfaces. In a further step, it is conceivable that individual operating functions for the audio or air conditioning systems, for example, might be controlled via Active Space.

“We have combined our expertise through this strategic partnership with Yanfeng so that passengers can try out the mobility of tomorrow as a unique experience,” said Alain Schumacher, CTO of IEE. “Our customers benefit in that we can offer them everything needed for an integrated system from which various potential applications can be derived.” Yanfeng and IEE already signed a memorandum of understanding at the IAA 2017 to combine their complementary skills and jointly develop integrated smart solutions. The equal partnership has already produced a multitude of successful applications.

The latest result of the partnership is the Active Space technology vision, which is currently in concept status and may feature in real-life mobility solutions from 2035 onwards. In addition to the seamless integration of Active Space into headliners, there is also potential for it to find its way into B-pillars and front seat backrests.

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI), the world’s leading supplier of automotive interiors, recognized the outstanding achievements of its European suppliers with the Supplier Award. During a ceremony, 12 companies supplying YFAI with commodities including resin, plastics, trim and injection molding received the award in three categories at the European Headquarters in Neuss.

For "Supplier of the Year," "Distinguished Supplier" and "Supplier Excellence" winners in four sub-categories, YFAI evaluated its suppliers on multiple criteria. With its vision of the interior of the future, technology, development and innovation were particularly important for YFAI. Moreover, quality, cost, service and customer satisfaction were also assessed.

Total Research & Technology Feluy, which supplies YFAI with polypropylene compounds, earned a perfect score in all categories. For its outstanding performance, the Belgian company was named "Supplier of the Year."
"Total is a reliable partner that fully supports YFAI," said James Bos, Vice President, Global Procurement at YFAI. "We particularly value Total’s close collaboration with our engineering and innovation teams that has developed over the years. Vincent Stoquart, Senior Vice President Polymers and member of the Refining & Chemicals Management Committee from Total Research & Technology Feluy, said: “We are very grateful for their trust and proud of this productive partnership. We’re looking forward to continuing to build a prosperous future together.”

This year's “Distinguished Supplier” Award went to two international companies: Vogel GmbH Kunststofftechnik from Germany and the Polish company Lys Fusion Poland Sp. z o.o. Nine companies received the "Supplier Excellence" award. Coatex NV from Belgium was honored for their high level of quality. YFAI gave the award for “Supplier Excellence – Technology and Innovation” to ILMA Plastica S.r.l. from Italy for the company’s achievements. ETG Elastomer Technik Gedern GmbH and the WBA Tooling Academy Aachen from Germany as well as the South African Principle Plastics (Pty) Ltd were honored for their high service standards. They received the "Supplier Excellence" award in the "Service" category. Finally, the Polish company ORSA-MOTO Sp. z o.o., Polydesign Systems S.A.R.L. from Morocco, the Italian Vulcaflex S.p.A. and the German C. H. Mueller GmbH were honored in the category “Customer Satisfaction.”

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI), the world’s leading supplier of automotive interiors, recognized the outstanding achievements of its European suppliers with the Supplier Award. During a ceremony, 12 companies supplying YFAI with commodities including resin, plastics, trim and injection molding received the award in three categories at the European Headquarters in Neuss.

For "Supplier of the Year," "Distinguished Supplier" and "Supplier Excellence" winners in four sub-categories, YFAI evaluated its suppliers on multiple criteria. With its vision of the interior of the future, technology, development and innovation were particularly important for YFAI. Moreover, quality, cost, service and customer satisfaction were also assessed.

Total Research & Technology Feluy, which supplies YFAI with polypropylene compounds, earned a perfect score in all categories. For its outstanding performance, the Belgian company was named "Supplier of the Year."
"Total is a reliable partner that fully supports YFAI," said James Bos, Vice President, Global Procurement at YFAI. "We particularly value Total’s close collaboration with our engineering and innovation teams that has developed over the years.” Vincent Stoquart, Senior Vice President Polymers and member of the Refining & Chemicals Management Committee from Total Research & Technology Feluy, said:
“We are very grateful for their trust and proud of this productive partnership. We’re looking forward to continuing to build a prosperous future together.”

This year's “Distinguished Supplier” Award went to two international companies: Vogel GmbH Kunststofftechnik from Germany and the Polish company Lys Fusion Poland Sp. z o.o. Nine companies received the "Supplier Excellence" award. Coatex NV from Belgium was honored for their high level of quality. YFAI gave the award for “Supplier Excellence – Technology and Innovation” to ILMA Plastica S.r.l. from Italy for the company’s achievements. ETG Elastomer Technik Gedern GmbH and the WBA Tooling Academy Aachen from Germany as well as the South African Principle Plastics (Pty) Ltd were honored for their high service standards. They received the "Supplier Excellence" award in the "Service" category. Finally, the Polish company ORSA-MOTO Sp. z o.o., Polydesign Systems S.A.R.L. from Morocco, the Italian Vulcaflex S.p.A. and the German C. H. Mueller GmbH were honored in the category “Customer Satisfaction.”

Photos from the event can be downloaded in our Media Center at www.yfai.com.

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI), the world’s leading supplier of automotive interiors, is the new partner of innovation platform Startup Autobahn in Stuttgart. With an extensive support program, the platform assists startups from the mobility sector and brings them together with established companies and research facilities. Startup Autobahn is part of the Plug and Play global mobility ecosystem, which YFAI joined in 2018.

“As our recently unveiled XiM20 interior concept demonstrates, future mobility opens up entirely new technology and design possibilities for vehicle interiors,” explained Han Hendriks, Chief Technology Officer for YFAI. “Through our collaboration with Plug and Play in California, we have made significant progress with our innovation work. We believe that we will also find strong partners through Startup Autobahn that help us further advance the evolution of automotive interiors with visionary technologies.”

As Europe’s largest platform for open innovation, Startup Autobahn puts the emphasis on an open exchange of disruptive ideas and technologies. Stuttgart research factory ARENA2036 offers ideal conditions for rapid and uncomplicated cooperation between companies and selected startups from all over the world. YFAI wishes to use this opportunity to cooperate with young companies on new technologies for future vehicle interiors.

“The startup scene has a great innovative spirit which we can also use to the benefit of development work within our company,” said Han Hendriks. “At the same time, the partnership gives startups access to our many years of expertise in the automotive industry.”

Sascha Karimpour, Managing Director of Plug and Play Germany, said of the new partnership: “With its clear vision for the future of vehicle interiors, YFAI is an important partner for our innovation platform. Through direct dialog with the mobility startup scene, Startup Autobahn provides the ideal environment for further development of the passenger experience.”

About STARTUP AUTOBAHN:
STARTUP AUTOBAHN is an innovation platform powered by Plug and Play. It provides an interface between industry-leading corporations and young tech companies. In May 2016, Daimler, Plug and Play Tech Center, the University of Stuttgart and ARENA2036 founded STARTUP AUTOBAHN as an open innovation platform with global reach. Since then, they have teamed up with Anchor Partners Hewlett Packard Enterprise, DXC Technology, ZF Friedrichshafen, BASF, Porsche, Deutsche Post DHL Group, Webasto, Rolls-Royce Power Systems, Samvardhana Motherson, T-Systems and the Ecosystem Partners Murata, HELLA, BENTELER, The Linde Group, AGC Glass Europe, Wieland Ventures, Jardine Matheson Limited, Covéa, Cepsa, Bleistahl, BP, Hyundai, TÜV Rheinland and Yanfeng Automotive Interior, to bring open innovation thought to life.

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI), the global leader in automotive interiors, is awarded as a Top Employer 2019 for its good working conditions in Germany and Slovakia. The independent Top Employers’ Institute confirmed that the automotive supplier promotes and supports talent at all organizational levels.

This prestigious award recognizes the company as an attractive employer in one of the most innovative industries in a rapidly changing environment. For the second consecutive year, YFAI received the renowned certification for its German plants in Lüneburg and Neustadt, as well as its European headquarters in Neuss. Additionally, all three locations in Slovakia including the Automotive Business Center in Bratislava as well as the Technical Center in Trencin and the manufacturing plant in Namestovo, were awarded, too. The company’s locations in the US and Mexico also received the Top Employer Award 2019. This also is the third consecutive year that YFAI received this award in China.

“Since our foundation, we have been dedicated to creating a diverse working environment around the globe that encourages collaboration and fosters innovation,” said Tony Elenbaas, Vice President, Europe and South Africa for Yanfeng Automotive Interiors. “We are proud to receive this recognition and are encouraged to further improve and share best practices across all regions.”

To determine the winners of the annual "Top Employer" Award, the independent Top Employers Institute evaluates employers in different categories. These include talent strategy, HR planning, talent acquisition, onboarding, training and development, performance management, management development, career and succession planning, compensation and benefits as well as corporate culture.
In the future, YFAI will continue to optimize its Human Resources practices and further establish the company as a reliable and innovative employer of choice.

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI), the global leader in automotive interiors, is awarded as a Top Employer 2019 for its good working conditions in Germany and Slovakia. The independent Top Employers’ Institute confirmed that the automotive supplier promotes and supports talent at all organizational levels.

This prestigious award recognizes the company as an attractive employer in one of the most innovative industries in a rapidly changing environment. For the second consecutive year, YFAI received the renowned certification for its German plants in Lüneburg and Neustadt, as well as its European headquarters in Neuss. Additionally, all three locations in Slovakia including the Automotive Business Center in Bratislava as well as the Technical Center in Trencin and the manufacturing plant in Namestovo, were awarded, too. The company’s locations in the US and Mexico also received the Top Employer Award 2019. This also is the third consecutive year that YFAI received this award in China.

“Since our foundation, we have been dedicated to creating a diverse working environment around the globe that encourages collaboration and fosters innovation,” said Tony Elenbaas, Vice President, Europe and South Africa for Yanfeng Automotive Interiors. “We are proud to receive this recognition and are encouraged to further improve and share best practices across all regions.”

To determine the winners of the annual "Top Employer" Award, the independent Top Employers Institute evaluates employers in different categories. These include talent strategy, HR planning, talent acquisition, onboarding, training and development, performance management, management development, career and succession planning, compensation and benefits as well as corporate culture.
In the future, YFAI will continue to optimize its Human Resources practices and further establish the company as a reliable and innovative employer of choice.

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI) was honored by the Top Employers Institute as one of the 2019 China Top Employers. The honor is a recognition of the company's working conditions, compensation and benefits system, talent development and corporate culture.

This is the third year in a row that YFAI has been received this honor in China. Companies awarded the certificate include YFAI’s Global Headquarters, Asia Headquarters, Tech Center and several plants located in Shanghai.  The review process encompassed over 100 questions which cover ‘People Development’ practices across 10 key focused HR topics. In 2018, YFAI was honored as a Top Employer in The United States, Germany and Slovakia.

Since its establishment, YFAI has been dedicated to creating a diverse working environment around the world that encourages collaboration and innovation. Employees are YFAI’s most valued resource and YFAI continually seeks to offer a platform for talent to showcase and develop.

“We believe that the 2019 certified organizations demonstrate exceptional employee conditions and encourage the development of these practices by putting their people first. These companies help enrich the world of work with their outstanding dedication to HR excellence and because of this, they are recognized as an employer of choice,” said David Plink, CEO of Top Employers Institute.

In the future, YFAI will continue to optimize its Human Resources practices and further establish YFAI as a reliable and innovative employer of choice.

With increasing urbanization, the demands for mobility solutions are also rising.

Future trends in the industry include not only connectivity, electromobility, and autonomous vehicles, but also shared mobility concepts, which impart a new importance to the vehicle’s interior. At the Future Interior Summit in Boeblingen (Stuttgart region) on November 21, 2018, Han Hendriks, CTO at Yanfeng Automotive Interiors, provided valuable insight into the development of the vehicle interior of the future.

At the Future Interior Summit, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Han Hendriks spoke on the topic, “Accelerating New Automotive Interior Experiences.” A purely practical understanding of individual components and functions is insufficient for developing new interior concepts. Rather, it is essential to understand future passengers and their desires and requirements. That is why market and consumer research is also key at Yanfeng Automotive Interiors’ (YFAI) innovation centers. As CTO, Hendriks is responsible for the vision and strategic planning of YFAI’s technology and innovation work. At this event in Boeblingen, he talked about the role quality of life, the subject of a research study recently conducted by YFAI, will play in the vehicle interior in future.

In the future, the driver of a car will become the passenger and cars will largely move autonomously in city traffic, so the vehicle interior will have a new significance. For instance, drivers will no longer have to concentrate on the road and will be able to use this time for other activities in the vehicle, as it becomes a living and experiential space.

“In designing this space, which we call the ‘Next Living Space,’ we have identified the megatrend quality of life as an important factor,” said Han Hendriks. “In order to understand more precisely what this trend consists of in detail, we performed a global consumer study. Among other factors, we identified three aspects that have an impact on quality of life almost everywhere in the world: safety, physical well-being, and quality.”

Preview of the new YFAI interior concept XiM20

YFAI is using the results of this study to develop the interior of tomorrow. At the Future Interior Summit, Hendriks presented glimpse of the technology of the interior concept currently in development. It will make its world debut in early 2019.

“Our brand-new concept vehicle XiM20 shows our interior vision of a fully autonomous vehicle. The results of our study were particularly valuable for the development process. For example, through the interior, we can offer space to future passengers for various activities and experiences, which even exceed the needs that passengers are currently aware of.”

The Future Interior Summit was organized by the publisher Verlag Moderne Industrie, and provided a platform for decision-makers and developers at OEMs, suppliers, and start-ups together with industry experts to discuss new opportunities for the vehicle interior. In addition to speeches by experts, there was a vehicle interior of the future exhibit.

New concepts and forms of mobility require flexible solutions inside the vehicle.
An important role in this regard is being played by smart surfaces.

New concepts and forms of mobility require flexible solutions inside the vehicle.
An important role in this regard is being played by smart surfaces.

In the future, every surface inside the vehicle can become a smart surface. Various operating functions in the vehicle will be seamlessly and invisibly integrated into the design of the interior, and information will be able to be accessed flexibly at all times. This will be made possible by the seamless integration of HMI (human-machine interface) technologies, such as displays or capacitive switches. In the vehicle’s interior, smart surfaces particularly offer a wide latitude in design in terms of future mobility solutions. Thanks to self-driving vehicles, we’ll soon no longer have to concentrate solely on the road. That will make the vehicle interior more important as it become an expanded, mobile living room – the Next Living Space.

Nearly all surfaces inside the vehicle offer the ability to personalize functions. For center consoles, the innovative Yanfeng-KOSTAL module shows what that might look like. With a display integrated in three-dimensional curved glass and innovative switch technologies, the center console becomes a seamlessly integrated, interactive control unit. But the concept is not limited to just hard, decorative surfaces – elements made of soft laminates, such as instrument panels or the midsections of door panels, can take on an interactive function in addition to their decorative one.

With the development concept activeSkin, digital data can be displayed even on soft surfaces. Surfaces that were only a decorative function, now with a simple touch, become a functional, touch-sensitive control surface that interacts with the passenger or activates lighting effects tailored to their needs. This allows the creation of a three-dimensional effect with impressive room depth. Since functionality is visible only when needed, this makes it possible to implement new degrees of freedom in interior design.

This new technology is particularly interesting for car-sharing concepts of the future because it can be customized. As soon as a person gets into a vehicle, the digital content from apps or mobile devices could be synchronized, as could stored preferences for lighting and room ambience. This makes it possible to create an experience inside the vehicle that is tailored to the passenger. With activeSkin, YFAI is turning the interior into an extended living room – the Next Living Space.

More than 30 speakers from Europe and China discussed the challenges and opportunities of the business relationships between the two countries during this year's summit of the German-Chinese Business Association. This year, the focus was on the transnational innovation work by companies. Our expert Dr. Yanning Zhao was invited to  report on her experiences in the global development network at Yanfeng Automotive Interiors.

Dr. Yanning Zhao is Manager, Engineering Product Innovation Europe, for Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI) and has specialized in display and HMI technologies for future interior vehicle concepts at the Neuss location. Her expertise regarding the mutual relationships between Germany and China, as well as cultural differences  is not just due to her work at YFAI. Yanning, who was born in China, has lived, worked and done research in Germany since 2005, and can draw on her personal experiences.

During the discussion Yanning talked with representatives from Covestro and NIO, as well as Patent Attorney, Dr. Thomas Escher about the opportunities and challenges for innovations "Made in Germany" and "Created in China." Together, the speakers discussed the advancements China has made in creating innovation and the associated impact on collaboration between Germany and China.

With more than 110 locations in all regions of the world, YFAI has a global production and innovation network. At the beginning of the year, YFAI opened its latest innovation center in Neuss. In the coming years, future vehicle interiors will be developed in cooperation with the company‘s innovation centers in China and the United States. During the podium discussion, Yanning described the opportunities which this opens up for the development of new vehicle interior technologies. In light of new mobility concepts such as autonomous driving, car sharing and e-mobility, it is advantageous to be able to leverage the experience and knowledge of various cultural regions.

Every year, the German-Chinese Business Day brings together stakeholders and experts from politics, industry and the civil society to discuss topics related to mutual  business relationships. The keynote speech at this year's event was made by Wang Weidong, Envoy of the Embassy Council of the Trade and Economic Affairs Department of the Embassy of China in Germany.