With more safety features requiring a greater level of driver monitoring, demand for multi-function TFT-LCD panels in the automotive instrument cluster are accelerating.
In fact, TFT-LCD shipments for the instrument cluster in automobiles are expected to grow 48% to reach 30,2-million units this year, growing further to reach 50 million units in 2018.
This is according to the DisplaySearch Automotive Displays Report for the second quarter of 2014.
“Formerly a concept found only in science fiction, with ‘emergency stop,’ ‘active lane control,’ and other safety functions becoming more commonplace, automatic electronic control of automobiles is now a reality,” says Hiroshi Hayase, vice-president of small and medium displays for DisplaySearch, now part of IHS.
“With leading-edge features like fully automatic driving on the horizon, and with growing requirements to actively monitor safety and ecological functions, multifunctional TFT-LCD instrument clusters could soon resemble glass cockpits.”
Growing automotive manufacturer demand for automotive TFT-LCD panels in the instrument cluster are mainly led by the United States, European Union, Japan and other developed regions. In the first half of the year, Continental AG was the top purchaser of instrument cluster TFT-LC panels, followed by Ford and Nippon Seiki.