Samsung Display Unveils New Automotive OLED Brand, ‘DRIVE™’ at IAA Mobility 2025

Samsung Display unveiled its next-generation automotive OLED technology and its new automotive OLED brand, “DRIVE™,” at IAA Mobility 2025, the world’s largest mobility exhibition held in Munich, Germany. As the only global panel manufacturer to participate, Samsung Display used this exhibition to accelerate its strategy to expand into the automotive display market, highlighting the design flexibility and differentiated image quality of its automotive OLED displays. Samsung Display unveiled a digital cockpit that incorporates OLED across all touchpoints for both driver and passengers. The driver’s seat features a 10.25-inch moving OLED cluster, an innovative design that functions as a dashboard during driving and hides beneath the dashboard when parked. A large 34-inch OLED display is positioned in front of the passenger seat. 14.5-inch and 13.8-inch OLED panels can be combined using multi-lamination technology to form a single large screen or two independent displays. Samsung Display’s “Flex Magic Pixel” technology blocks passenger content from the driver’s seat, enhancing driving safety. A 14.4-inch L-shaped flexible OLED panel is featured in the center fascia, allowing intuitive control of vehicle settings and the air conditioning system. A 9.4-inch circular OLED for rear-seat passengers and a 30-inch rooftop display were also unveiled, demonstrating OLED solutions that encompass the entire interior of the vehicle.

Samsung Display unveiled its first rigid OLED-based Off-The-Shelf (OTS) solution at this exhibition. With a total of seven standardized product lines ranging from 7 inches to 17 inches, the company aims to enable customers to quickly implement desired sizes, reducing development costs and time while also securing price competitiveness. Samsung Display also demonstrated its ability to meet the demand for large-screen displays in automobiles by demonstrating multi-lamination technology, which combines multiple OLED panels to create a single, large screen. Under the theme of “Upgrade to OLED,” Samsung Display highlighted the advantages of OLED over mini LED. The company showcased a rectangular mini LED cluster, a curved OLED cluster that can be molded into a curve, and a curved OLED cluster that maximizes immersion, highlighting design freedom. Visitors were also able to experience firsthand the display’s image quality advantages, such as true black, high contrast, and excellent outdoor visibility, essential for safe driving.

Samsung Display also unveiled a concept design for a future vehicle, created in collaboration with French designer Alban Lehaye. Using rollable, foldable, and stretchable OLEDs, the company proposed a V-shaped outfolding roof display, an extendable CID, and a flexible L-shaped panel, emphasizing the infinite expandability of OLED. A highlight of the exhibition was the debut of its new automotive OLED brand, “DRIVE™,” which embodies Samsung Display’s five core values: design differentiation, robust reliability, intelligent safety, visual excellence, and expandability. Lee Ju-hyung, Executive Vice President and Head of the Small and Medium Business Division at Samsung Display, stated, “OLED is a display optimized for the digital platform of the Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) era. Together with global customers, we will promote the differentiated value of automotive OLEDs through the DRIVE™ brand and strengthen our market leadership.”

Samsung Display recently signed a contract with Mercedes-Benz to exclusively supply automotive AMOLEDs for the 2028 Maybach S-Class. Negotiations are also reportedly underway with global electric vehicle manufacturers such as Tesla and BYD. Samsung Display’s automotive OLED shipments are projected to reach approximately 1.17 million units in the first half of 2025, and the IAA Mobility 2025 exhibition is expected to accelerate its global market share expansion.

Changwook Han, Executive Vice President/Analyst at UBI Research (cwhan@ubiresearch.com)

2025 Automotive Display Technology and Industry Trends Analysis Report