Car Windshield as a Giant Display... Hyundai Mobis' CES Bold Move

Hyun Kyu-seok, President of Hyundai Mobis (left), and Karl Lamprecht, CEO of Zeiss Germany, are seen discussing while examining a vehicle equipped with the 'Holographic Windshield Transparent Display' at the Hyundai Mobis booth during CES 2025 held in Las Vegas, USA, on the 8th (local time). Photo by Hyundai Mobis

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Hyundai Mobis has applied its 'display-less display' technology, which uses the entire car windshield as a kind of digital screen, to an actual vehicle and showcased it at the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition, CES 2025.

On the 9th, Hyundai Mobis announced that at CES held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in the United States, it revealed and demonstrated the 'Holographic Windshield Transparent Display' technology utilizing the vehicle's windshield, applied to the Kia electric vehicle EV9.

The key feature of this technology is that the vehicle's glass itself becomes the screen without any physical display device. All display devices previously installed on the driver and passenger seats are removed, and instead, various content such as driving information, navigation, and music playlists necessary for vehicle use are clearly displayed at the bottom of the windshield. From the outside, it looks like just a transparent glass, but inside, all kinds of information are vividly conveyed. It is explained that the high brightness and color reproduction allow clear viewing even in bright external environments.

In particular, images or videos can be displayed anywhere on the vehicle's windshield. It can be configured according to user needs without being restricted by location. Hyundai Mobis explained, "The secret lies in a special film using an optical element called HOE," adding, "Unlike typical screens, this film uses the principle of light diffraction (the wave phenomenon of light bending and reaching) to efficiently deliver images or videos projected from a projector to the eye positions of people seated in the driver and passenger seats." It also enables a function where the passenger's screen is not visible from the driver's seat.

Holographic windshield transparent display installed in an actual vehicle. Provided by Hyundai Mobis

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Hyundai Mobis is jointly developing this display technology, which has no mass production cases yet, with the German optical company Zeiss. They plan to complete advanced development by the first half of next year and introduce the product as early as 2027. On the 8th (local time), Hyundai Mobis President Lee Gyu-seok and Zeiss CEO Karl Lamprecht met at the Hyundai Mobis CES exhibition booth to examine the technology firsthand and discuss future cooperation plans. The two companies plan to expand business cooperation into driver and passenger detection monitoring systems inside vehicles and augmented reality (AR) displays for vehicles.

President Lee emphasized, "We will actively target the global market focusing on market-leading technological competitiveness and high value-added core products," adding, "We will continue to proactively introduce various new technologies."

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