On January 6, CES 2026 officially opened in Las Vegas, the United States. At this year’s exhibition, automotive displays clearly demonstrated their evolution beyond simple information panels into core interfaces that integrate and intelligently orchestrate the in-vehicle experience. Alongside advances in OLED, Micro LED, and Mini LED technologies, innovations in form factors, transparency, and AI-driven interaction converged to define the future direction of the smart cockpit.

Korean companies highlighted their technological competitiveness by focusing on ultra-large displays, form flexibility, and differentiated user experiences. LG Display redefined the vehicle interior as a continuous digital space by showcasing its pillar-to-pillar (P2P) OLED display extending from the driver’s side to the passenger side. The single-panel P2P OLED, reaching up to 51 inches, delivers high resolution and excellent touch sensitivity while addressing concerns over image quality degradation in large-format displays. LG Display also unveiled a sliding OLED concept that can retract into the dashboard, presenting a cockpit vision in which screen size and function adapt dynamically to driving conditions. In addition, automotive OLEDs incorporating under-display camera (UDC) technology and Dual View functionality emphasized a direction in which a single screen can provide different information simultaneously to the driver and the passenger.

LG Display’s Dual View technology providing different information to driver and co-driver, featured with UDC cluster. (Source: LGD)

LG Electronics showcased applications of transparent OLED based on LG Display’s panel technology, presenting the potential of “invisible interfaces” in automotive displays. Transparent OLED technology enables both open visibility and information display, demonstrating its potential expansion into future applications such as HUDs, panoramic displays, and in-vehicle and vehicle-to-outside communication.

LG Electronics’ Transparent OLED Windscreen and Side-Window solutions displaying info while maintaining openness. (Source: LGE)

Samsung Display also emphasized spatial efficiency and installation flexibility through layout-adaptive automotive OLED solutions. Its 18.1-inch “Flexible L” center information display can be bent into an L-shape to conform to dashboard structures, while the 13.8-inch passenger information display (PID) can be hidden beneath the dashboard when the seat is unoccupied, enhancing space utilization. Samsung Display further highlighted the integration of a robust OLED panel with a 500R curvature on a glass substrate, achieving both visual sophistication and ease of installation.

Chinese companies placed strong emphasis on ultra-large integrated displays and advanced HUD technologies, showcasing their system-level integration capabilities alongside aggressive performance specifications. BOE introduced its HERO 2.0 smart cockpit, emphasizing scenario-based in-vehicle experiences centered on displays. The Micro LED PHUD panoramic head-up display, delivering up to 50,000 nits of brightness, ensures high visibility even under strong ambient light and integrates AI-based voice and gesture recognition to further enhance cockpit intelligence. HERO 2.0, which also includes a 15.6-inch UB Cell central display, an AI audio system, and an integrated digital broadcasting function, clearly illustrates BOE’s strategy of transforming vehicles from transportation tools into living spaces. At the same time, BOE highlighted low-power IGZO oxide displays and carbon-reduction achievements, reinforcing its commitment to environmentally sustainable manufacturing.

BOE demonstrating the HERO 2.0 Smart Cockpit with a 50,000-nit Micro LED Panoramic HUD. (Source: BOE)

TCL CSOT made a strong impression with its 28-inch inkjet-printed OLED applied to a sliding center console and curved armrest, demonstrating notable innovation in form factor design. At its booth, TCL CSOT also conducted live demonstrations of a projection-based HUD (P-HUD). The HVA Ultra P-HUD projects information onto the vehicle’s front windshield using a multi-LCD projection structure, positioning itself as either a replacement for or a complement to conventional dashboard displays. This demonstrated TCL’s strategy of pursuing cockpit integration not only through large OLED panels but also through HUD solutions.

TCL CSOT’s Panoramic HUD solution projecting info on the windshield to replace dashboards. (Source: TCL CSOT)

Tianma presented a next-generation cockpit centered on a 49.6-inch C-shaped panoramic display positioned as an information hub, integrating the instrument cluster, center display, passenger display, and side-mirror areas into a single visual architecture. By leveraging more than 210,000 independent dimming units to achieve a 100,000:1 contrast ratio and suppressing reflectance to below 0.55 percent, Tianma emphasized both readability and safety in ultra-large displays. The company’s multi-screen ecosystem, including a 43.7-inch IRIS PHUD panoramic display, a flexible pull-out display, and a small OLED integrated into the steering wheel, highlighted its strengthening capabilities in system-level cockpit design. Visionox also showcased a dynamic bending display using dual flexible AMOLED panels, presenting an approach that simultaneously improves the stowability and visibility of large screens.

Tianma’s next-gen cockpit and Panoramic HUD system integrating instrument cluster and center display. (Source: Tianma)

Taiwanese companies pursued differentiation through transparent displays and system integration. AUO, through its subsidiary AUO Mobility Solutions, showcased transparent Micro LED displays, INVISY stealth displays, and an AI-based cockpit domain control platform, defining displays as core nodes connected to vehicle computing systems. The integration with a glass-substrate satellite antenna suggested a future in which automotive displays are directly linked to external networks. Innolux emphasized integrated cockpit solutions combining visual and audio technologies through collaboration with CARUX and Pioneer, and unveiled an ultra-high-brightness Micro LED HUD delivering 50,000 nits of direct brightness and 10,000 nits in reflected image brightness, highlighting stable HUD performance even under extreme conditions.

AUO’s Transparent Micro LED display presented as a key node connecting vehicles with external networks. (Source: AUO)

From the automaker perspective, the direction of change was equally clear. BMW presented a panoramic HUD concept for its next-generation iX3, proposing a future HUD architecture that utilizes the entire windshield as an information interface and emphasizing tighter integration between display technology and vehicle design.

BMW’s futuristic Panoramic HUD and iDrive system utilizing the entire windshield as an information interface. (Source: BMW)

Commenting on the automotive display trends observed at CES 2026, Changwook Han, Executive Vice President at UBI Research, stated, “Automotive displays have entered a phase of cockpit platform competition, where form factors, systems, AI, and content converge, rather than remaining a field of individual component competition.” He added, “The advancement toward ultra-large displays, transparency, and sophisticated HUDs will ultimately serve as key indicators of how deeply display makers can engage in shaping the user experience of automakers.”

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

2025 Automotive Display Technology and Industry Trends Analysis Report

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