ANN ARBOR—While change will continue to be the buzzword in the North American automotive industry in the next 10 years, nowhere will it be more visible than in the automotive interiors sector, say University of Michigan researchers.

“To be competitive in the coming decade, automotive interiors industry participants will need to develop strategies that enable them to be prepared for those impending changes,” says David E. Cole, director of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute‘s Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation.

In their Automotive Interiors Delphi Forecast and Analysis of the North American Automotive Industry, Cole and researchers Brett C. Smith and Joseph Ziomek polled 59 automotive experts on trends in the automotive interiors sector. The areas covered include strategic planning factors; safety issues; technology, electrical and electronics; materials; and global issues.

Among the study’s key findings are:

—The cockpit module, instrumentation, collision warning systems and navigation systems will present excellent opportunities for product differentiation.

—Quality, reliability, durability and cost to the manufacturer will be the most important elements of competition.

—Safety systems, electrical systems and intelligent transportation systems are components most likely to be standardized.

—Price will be the most important purchase criterion for assemblers, with delivery and quality ranking right behind.

—Leveraging suppliers’ capabilities will be the most common strategic consideration by manufacturers in increasing system sourcing.

—Side-impact air bags will be equipped on 28 percent of passenger cars and 20 percent of light trucks by 2005. Also, all light trucks will have passenger-side air bags by that time.

—Passenger cars with adjustable steering columns, anti-theft devices, keyless entry systems and compact disc players will increase significantly by 2005.

—Analog instrumentation will remain the predominant display format, although digital and electroluminescent instrumentation will increase.

—The cost of materials and processing will continue to be the most important material selection criteria, but weight of materials will become nearly as important by 2005.

—Federal regulations regarding disposal of tires and automotive fluids, recyclability of plastics and uniform coding standards are likely by 2005.

—Audio systems, instrumentation, interior lighting and HVAC/radio controls are components most likely to be globally sourced.

Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation