They are the hidden champions of the automotive industry: suppliers develop new technologies, advise manufacturers and manufacture entire components themselves. We experience innovations that they have presented this year on the road at ever shorter intervals.
On the way to an autonomous vehicle, for example, the car learns to drive ever more safely. For example, supplier Bosch plans to use a system by 2018 that not only recognizes pedestrians and initiates braking - assistants can do this today - but also calculates an alternative route and supports the driver in the subsequent maneuver. The blind spot assistant for motorcyclists, which is supposed to make changing lanes more secure, is already going into series production at short notice. As in the car, sensors detect the space that is not or only difficult to see with the mirrors alone and warn the driver in the event of danger.
If warnings come too late, the occupants will be protected by new airbags in the future: supplier ZF TRW, for example, has developed an air cushion that unfolds between the driver and front passenger so that they do not come too close, especially in the event of a side impact. In addition, airbags that catch the occupants in the back seat in the event of a front impact should be ready for series production in a good two years. The prospects for another system are less specific: the outside airbag that ZF showed at the IAA and that inflates out of the door sill in the event of an impending impact on the outside of the door to protect the car.
With high traffic and narrow cities, the maneuverability of a car is becoming increasingly important in urban regions. This year, ZF presented a test car with a turning circle of 6,50 meters (Smart: 6,95 m) - thanks to a front axle with a steering angle of 75 degrees, a steering rear axle and motors close to the wheel. In future, the parking process can also be carried out from outside the car using a smartwatch or mobile phone. Even a car plus trailer can be directed into a parking space via the smartphone - while standing next to it for a better overview. The technical requirements in the car have long been there.
Legal requirements still have to be created for a potential innovation: According to Continental cameras, the inside and outside mirrors of cars could be replaced from 2018. The combination of camera and screen in the cockpit should not only have optical and aerodynamic advantages, but also offer more comfort and safety. They allow a larger field of vision without blind spots, are less sensitive to weather influences and damage and can also be combined with new assistance functions.
There will also be some innovations in the interior in the coming years. If leather equipment is already available in the small car, the manufacturers have to think of something new to upgrade the interior. At this year's IAA, for example, Faurecia showed the processing of slate surfaces on the dashboard. The millimeter-thin stone layer should not be heavier than wood and look particularly elegant. Knitted details, on the other hand, make the interior cozy and can be used particularly flexibly.
The car manufacturers have been flexible in terms of operation for a long time: the touch operation so familiar to car buyers thanks to smartphones and tablets will continue to increase in future cars, according to the vision of supplier Yanfeng, for example, almost all buttons can be replaced by touch-sensitive surfaces - including the automatic selector lever. Gesture control and speech recognition, with which one can speak normally instead of learning commands, will quickly be added as additional, as distraction-free control options as possible, believes supplier Delphi. The BMW 2015 Series, which can be controlled by hand movement, made a start in 7.
Of course, a lot has happened in terms of electrification. The 48-volt technology, which practically the entire supplier elite is working on, made its first series appearance in the Audi Q2016 in 7. The manufacturers promise fuel savings from the 48-volt hybrid - which is relatively cheap compared to the hybrid with high voltage - the supplier Delphi assumes around 15 percent. Competitor Bosch already presented the second generation of the 48-volt hybrid this year, which can now drive short distances purely electrically. In addition, the Stuttgart-based company has announced that electric car batteries will offer more than twice as much range in five years' time, at significantly lower costs.