Editor's Note: As vehicles evolve from the single attribute of "transportation tools" towards a "third living space," a revolution in in-vehicle audio-visual is reshaping the public travel experience. Starting from this issue, China Electronics News launches the "Mobile Feast - In-Vehicle Audio-Visual" series, focusing on the "boundary-breaking" of display technology, the "dimension-upgrading" of auditory experience, and the "symbiosis" of AI and the cockpit. It explores the latest practices in transparent displays, panoramic sound fields, and immersive cockpits, and interprets how in-vehicle audio-visual expands from single function stacking to an all-scenario intelligent ecosystem connecting people, vehicles, and homes, making every trip a memorable "feast."
In the wave of AI (Artificial Intelligence) empowering vehicle intelligence, in-vehicle audio-visual has completely broken away from the accessory positioning of traditional in-vehicle entertainment, becoming a crucial interactive carrier in the intelligent cockpit and the core facade of the vehicle intelligence experience. The iteration of display technology, the reshaping of auditory experience, and the deep integration of the cockpit ecosystem are jointly weaving a mobile feast where "the car follows the mind, and audio-visual knows no bounds."
On the hardware front, cutting-edge configurations such as transparent displays, Micro LED, and panoramic sound fields are accelerating their shift from luxury flagship models to mainstream models, elevating the industry's quality baseline; on the experience front, AI intelligent adaptation, all-scenario interconnection of people, vehicles, and homes, and immersive interaction are becoming new growth engines, opening up vast incremental space for in-vehicle audio-visual to leap from single functions to full-ecosystem services.
A Thousand Faces on One Screen, Reshaping the Interactive Visual Field
Over the past five years, in-vehicle displays have surged rapidly, completing two rounds of morphological leaps from central control large screens to through-type screens, and then to special-shaped curved screens. Today, it is transforming from a mere "information window" into a "scenario-based interactive hub." "In-vehicle displays are iterating towards ultra-large joint screens, panoramic sunroof screens, AR-HUDs, and flexible special-shaped screens, focusing on ultra-high resolution, low blue light, and display effects highly adaptable to the in-vehicle environment, while upgrading to minimalist interaction and vehicle-machine AI linkage," Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), told China Electronics News.
Transparent displays are bringing in-vehicle glass to "life." From sunroofs to partitions, and from side windows to windshields, glass is evolving from a simple light-transmitting medium into an interactive, displayable, and touchable intelligent interface. BOE (BOE Technology Group)'s intelligent dimming sunroofs are being widely adopted in vehicles. Through electrochromic technology, they achieve intelligent adjustment of glass transparency. With the support of AI technology, the light transmittance can be automatically adjusted according to external light intensity and user scenarios, adapting to various modes such as business, leisure, entertainment, and rest. Tianma Microelectronics' transparent splicing "Tianxuan" screen adopts glass-based Micro LED direct display technology, with a transmittance of over 60% and a peak brightness exceeding 5000 nits, targeting in-vehicle transparent instrument panels and transparent window applications. Photonic Crystal Technology's "Whole-Car Transparent Interactive Display Solution," based on photonic transparent display technology, integrates a "sunroof transparent display large screen + partition transparent touch large screen + side window transparent touch large screen" to create a new "immersive transparent interactive display" passenger entertainment space for rear-seat passengers.
Industry insiders point out that 2026 can be called the initial implementation year for transparent in-vehicle displays. Currently, truly mass-produced scenarios are mainly concentrated on panoramic sunroofs and rear partitions, while transparent displays for side windows and front windshields are still in progress.
"Panoramic Head-Up Displays" are reconstructing the driving visual field. BOE's Micro LED PHUD (Panoramic Head-Up Display) boasts an ultra-high brightness of 50000 nits, utilizing AI technology to achieve intelligent voice and gesture control, with a complex command recognition rate as high as 98%. Huayang Multimedia's panoramic 3D AR-HUD builds real 3D virtual images based on spatial light fields, enhancing depth perception and spatial consistency to achieve a more natural immersive driving experience. Data from Gaogong Intelligent Automotive Research Institute shows that from January to November 2025, the delivery of pre-installed standard AR-HUDs for passenger vehicles in the Chinese market (excluding imports and exports) reached 1.3365 million units, a year-on-year increase of 76.13%, with the penetration rate rising to 6.46%. Zhang Shikun, Marketing Director of Huayang Multimedia, told China Electronics News that AR-HUD has now entered a completely new development stage. Complementary to advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and AI, it is driving the upgrade of AR-HUD from a simple information projection function to an intelligent interactive platform, comprehensively enhancing driving safety and the ride experience.
Wood-grain hidden displays (wood-grain screens), which feature "interior design when the screen is off and intelligent display when on," have become a window for manufacturers to achieve differentiated breakthroughs against the backdrop of limited vehicle growth and highly homogenized cockpit designs. Volkswagen's ID.ERA 9X features a whole-car wood-grain intelligent cockpit covering multiple scenarios such as instrument panels, central controls, and door panels. Chen Ziwei, Senior Analyst in the Mobile Business Division of Sigmaintell, told China Electronics News that 2026, as the first year of mass production for wood-grain screens, is expected to see a global shipment of approximately 150,000 units, primarily for demonstration applications in high-end flagship models. In the future, with the continuous iteration of technologies such as laser micro-pores, Micro LED, and integrated touch, wood-grain screens will extend from central controls and door panels to instrument panels, armrest boxes, and ceilings, covering all interior scenarios, becoming the core carrier for in-vehicle displays to advance from functional to experiential.
Huang Xiaoyue, Head of the Display System in the Vehicle Engineering Department of Xiaomi Auto, stated that the ultimate goal of in-vehicle displays is not a competition of hardware parameters, but the construction of a four-layer experience system encompassing safety, information, comfort, and emotional resonance. In the future, AI will comprehensively reshape the cockpit interaction paradigm, shifting from "human operating the car" to "car proactively serving humans." The display system will become an emotional bridge connecting people and vehicles, bringing users an anticipated and warm travel experience.
Intelligently Crafting Sound Fields, Customizing Immersive Experiences
As screens continuously extend visual boundaries, the auditory experience is also quietly "upgrading dimensions." In-vehicle auditory systems are breaking away from the basic logic of "producing and transmitting sound." Relying on the three-dimensional evolution of "hardware + algorithms + content," they transform the cockpit into a mobile "concert hall" and "zero-pressure cabin," achieving a dual leap from "humans seeking content" to "AI proactively serving," and from "stereo" to "panoramic immersion."
With the consumption upgrade of intelligent cockpits, hearing has become a new benchmark for a "premium feel." A consumer study by Counterpoint in April 2026 shows that 75% of surveyed car owners believe that cars equipped with advanced in-vehicle entertainment technologies have a more premium feel, representing an ideal lifestyle. Listening to music, watching movies, and listening to podcasts/audiobooks are the top three activities of most interest to car owners.
The explosion in demand has directly driven technology implementation. The Exeed EX7 intelligent cockpit supports Vivid Audio technology, allowing users to feel sound naturally surging from all directions. Whether it is the power of engine roaring or the spatial position of raindrops falling, everything is clearly discernible and distinctly positioned. Reporters learned from the World Ultra High Definition Video Industry Alliance that the Vivid in-vehicle cockpit technology has connected the entire ecological chain from content provision, decoding and rendering, audio tuning to certification and testing, supporting the rapid launch of Vivid and providing users with an innovative experience. Huawei Intelligent Automotive Solution has released the HUAWEI SOUND AI Audio Tuning Cube, featuring over 260 adjustable audio parameters. It can precisely control the direction, loudness, and reverberation of sound, turning the cockpit into a tuning room, allowing every user to become a cockpit "audio tuner," and even enabling them to share exclusive solutions to the community. Meanwhile, iFLYTEK's exclusive "AI + speaker array technology" can achieve the reconstruction and equalization of the three-dimensional spatial sound field.
In-vehicle audio is gradually gaining "healing power." The panoramic sound zero-pressure space created by WANOS Panoramic Sound Technology Co., Ltd. combines various high-quality white noises and sound materials from nature, animals, life, and melodies to create a soothing decompression field for naps and meditation.
Dirac Spaces, the in-vehicle audio solution from Swedish digital audio technology company Dirac, precisely models real acoustic environments (such as concert halls and recording studios) and "reproduces" their acoustic characteristics in the car interior. This makes passengers no longer just "listen to music," but feel as if they are "in a concert hall." This solution made its debut in NIO's ES9 "Jiuxiao Tianqin Audio System." Anders Storm, CEO of Dirac, stated that Dirac pursues the synergy of sound source, system, and space. Taking a certain model equipped with 47 speakers as an example, Dirac's algorithms can help manufacturers efficiently coordinate the collaborative work among speakers to create better acoustic effects.
Dolby has gone a step further, deeply integrating the "Dual Dolby" experience (Dolby Atmos + Dolby Vision) into the intelligent vehicle sector earlier this year. The NIO ET9, with its sound field system built by 22 speakers, combined with Dolby Vision HDR display technology, transforms the rear-seat entertainment screen into a private cinema.
The market has risen accordingly. Currently, the global in-vehicle audio market size continues to expand and is expected to grow to $11.8 billion to $23.5 billion by 2026. In the long run, it is expected to break through $16 billion to $41.6 billion between 2030 and 2035. From passive listening to active customization, and from single functions to emotional companionship, in-vehicle hearing, along with vision, is jointly weaving a full-sensory experience network for future mobility.
Boundless Interconnection, Advancing to the Third Space
While in-vehicle displays and audio are still sprinting on their respective tracks, they are driving the intelligent cockpit from the patchwork era of "function stacking" into the ecological era of "all-scenario intelligent symbiosis." As Li Bin, Founder of NIO, said at the Qualcomm Summit: "The current intelligent cockpit must become an AI cockpit."
From "mobility tools" to "third living rooms," boundaries are dissolving. In May, Joyson Electronics and Intel jointly developed a cockpit AI intelligent entertainment center. Equipped with Intel's new Core Ultra series platform and Joyson Electronics' software and hardware foundation, it covers multiple scenarios such as in-vehicle gaming, audio-visual, and socializing, relying on full-modal AI interaction and immersive entertainment experiences, turning mobile travel into a highly enjoyable intelligent experience.
BOE's "HERO 2.0 Intelligent Cockpit," supported by AI technology, integrates multi-modal interaction methods such as multi-touch, voice interaction, visual control, and gesture control to realize a "domain-controlled cockpit." Through the large central control screen in the cabin, users can control the dimming sunroof, order food delivery, adjust the air conditioner, and remotely check the status of the reptile tank at home, achieving "vehicle-home interconnection" and "vehicle-business interconnection," seamlessly integrating life services into the driving and riding scenarios.
From "passive response" to "emotional resonance," the intelligent cockpit experience is beginning to have warmth. Rainbow's 5D immersive intelligent cockpit solution is based on a multi-modal spatial large model. The system generates 5D scripts according to audio-visual content and uniformly arranges multiple sensory feedbacks such as pictures, sounds, lights, and rhythms, allowing various hardware in the cockpit to operate collaboratively around the same emotional rhythm, making the cockpit an immersive atmospheric space that can be seen, heard, smelled, felt, and moved. On this basis, integrating multi-modal AIGC capabilities, the system can generate personalized cockpit scenarios through natural language commands. For example, telling the cockpit "I want to experience the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty," the screen will display the grand landscape of the Tang Dynasty, the ambient lights will light up one by one like street market lights, the seats will slightly recline, and ancient music will linger, instantly transforming the cockpit into an interactive intelligent art space.
"AI's empowerment of automobiles is not a simple addition, but a multiplication effect," emphasized Zhao Fuquan, Lifetime Honorary Chairman of the International Federation of Automotive Engineering Societies (FISITA). After achieving high-level autonomous driving, the interior space and attributes of automobiles will be completely different from today, becoming mobile intelligent spaces, which brings brand-new imagination space and challenges to the entire industry.
Cui Dongshu stated: "Currently, the penetration rate of domestic intelligent in-vehicle audio-visual supporting equipment exceeds 90%, and the installation rate of high-end audio-visual configurations is increasing year by year. Coupled with the upgrade of autonomous driving and the explosion of personalized cockpit demands, the market size continues to expand. The demand in segmented tracks such as upstream and downstream screens, acoustic components, and AI interactive algorithms is strong, possessing broad market space for stable growth and continuous iteration in the long term."
According to IDC forecasts, the global in-vehicle audio-visual market size will exceed $800 billion by 2030, of which AI-related technologies will contribute over 60%. It is foreseeable that with the deep integration of AI technology and the automotive industry, future in-vehicle audio-visual will not only be a "mobile audio-visual feast," but also become the core competitiveness in defining the intelligent travel experience, making every departure full of expectation and every journey worth reminiscing about.
Author | Lu Mengqi Editor | Qiu Jiangyong Art Editor | Malia Supervisor | Lian Xiaodong