“We are taking safety and comfort for vehicle occupants to a new level on the basis of our expertise in infotainment, navigation and connectivity,” said Stavros Mitrakis, President and CEO of Preh Car Connect GmbH. “At the same time, it has become clear how we can combine the Joyson Group’s different competences into an innovative overall solution.”

One Interior – Three Displays

Due to the trends towards networking and (partially) autonomous driving, demands on the vehicle’s communication skills are increasing. PCC has therefore also opted for a smart expansion of the classic interior layout. The demonstrator which Preh Car Connect has developed features three displays, enabling comfortable, parallel and clear operation for the driver and front passenger. The 12.3-inch display on the driver’s side is the classic instrument panel which shows the speed and remaining battery power. In the center of the panel and on the passenger side are 13.3-inch touch displays which are primarily intended for infotainment applications. The three displays are controlled by one and the same control unit. This allows the content to be moved between the displays as desired by the occupants without any problems. The expansion of the panel over the entire width of the vehicle makes for comfortable operation not only by the driver, but also by the front passenger. In order to be able to offer the widest possible range of HMI functionalities, a Preh GmbH rotary switch was also applied to the glass of the demonstrator in the central area as an additional operating element. The homogenous appearance of the glass was ensured thanks to the bonding process.

Smart system interaction becomes driver assistance

It sounds like a scene from a sci-fi movie, but it could become reality in the future: a business traveler gets into a rental car and connects the smartphone with the panel via the cloud. After a few moments, the navigation suggests an optimized route which takes into account the current traffic situation after identifying the next destination from a private calendar entry. When it suddenly starts raining during the journey, the system recommends that the driver adjusts the inside temperature to prevent the windscreen from fogging up. But the PCC study not only allows increased comfort, but also significantly more safety thanks to V2X technology (Vehicle-to-Everything). During the journey, the system identifies complicated traffic and dangerous situations in which warnings and safety instructions, as well as recommendations for action, are generated by the use of V2X. In addition, corresponding situations are visualized on the displays by animations.

These examples illustrate the complex possibilities for interaction between vehicles and the vehicle environment. Interaction with the cloud, exchange of information between the integrated applications and links with other mobile devices. This diversity of data generates smart suggestions for the driver, similar to driving assistance. The following functions can be controlled from the instrument panel: infotainment applications, climate regulation, navigation and connectivity functions.

Presentation mode integrated in demonstrator for the Exhibition

In order to give visitors to the Exhibition an idea of this forward-looking approach, PCC’s developers have also integrated a presentation mode into the demonstrator, which autonomously shows the best features and functions. In addition, interested parties can also try out for themselves how it feels to operate an interior of the future today.

About Preh / PCC

As a global automotive supplier, the Preh Group currently employs around 7,500 people and generates sales of more than EUR 1.3 billion. Preh was founded in 1919 in Bad Neustadt a. d. Saale and since 2011 has been part of the Joyson Group. Preh’s development and manufacturing capabilities include, in particular, HMI systems for passenger cars and commercial vehicles and infotainment and connectivity solutions, as well as e-mobility control units.

Preh Car Connect GmbH (PCC) has specialized in the areas of car infotainment, vehicle networking and telematics within the Preh Group. PCC’s product solutions come to fruition at its Development Center in Dresden. In addition to this central research site, Preh Car Connect has further development sites in China and the USA. Production is at the two plants at Dippach in Thuringia in Germany and at Oborniki in Poland.

Within the Joyson Group of companies, Ningbo (China), which was founded in 2004 by Jeff Wang, Preh is a subsidiary of the listed Joyson Electronics Corp. (600699: Shanghai) and constitutes its Automotive Electronics Division. Today, Joyson is one of the world’s 30 largest automotive suppliers.