Japan Display Inc.: Future of Dashboard is Digital

Most cars today are still equipped with the gauge-type instrument cluster, but a new generation of vehicles are increasingly favoring the use of flat screens on their dashboards. This trend has made Japan Display Inc.--the world’s no. 1 manufacturer of small and medium digital display panels--optimistic about boosting sales to global carmakers.

The Japanese tech company is now betting that the electric vehicle (EV) movement will push digital displays to become a primary selling point for any vehicle, as drivers focus more on cabin features over performance. And as a key digital display supplier to globally recognized names such as Apple and Mercedes-Benz, Japan Display is in a unique position to take advantage of the burgeoning digital instrument cluster market.

"It used to be all about the engine--how many cylinders, how much horse power, the sound of it--but with electric vehicles, that's all gone," said Japan Displays boss Holder Gerkens. "How do you create attraction? You can do a lot with displays."

Digital displays come with a lot of advantages that are impossible to have in a good old-fashioned cluster. For instance, they offer immense versatility and customization, allowing users to change style and amount of information for different driving modes, as well as switching to a different function, such as navigation, infotainment, etc., when needed.

Japan Display is already supplying about 30 percent of the European car market. Gerkens added that his company plans to expand to other markets including US, Japan and China.

"We are moving away from flat rectangular shaped displays," concluded Gerkens. "The future will be more and more design driven."