Cockpit of the Future from Forvia SE - slim lighting strip reshapes driver focus

Reviewed: ad hoc news B2B & Pro desk. Edited and checked on 2026-06-27, 14:21. Details in the imprint.

The Cockpit of the Future from Forvia SE greets you with a thin light line running edge to edge across the dashboard, glowing quietly as your hand brushes the soft trim. You tap the main display and the whole fascia wakes, screens and ambience shifting around the driver.

How Forvia frames the cockpit

Forvia’s Cockpit of the Future is a modular interior platform that bundles displays, smart surfaces, lighting and safety into one integrated system for car makers. It is designed as an industrial B2B kit rather than a single consumer model.

Faurecia first outlined the Cockpit of the Future concept several years ago and has been refining it with new human-machine interface elements, slimmer vents and more seamless decorative panels since then. OEMs can pick modules instead of buying a fixed layout.

What the driver actually sees

In a demo car the Cockpit of the Future places a wide central display and a smaller driver cluster behind a continuous glass ribbon, framed by a tidy light strip along the upper edge. When the car starts, the strip brightens and the screens tilt their content towards the driver.

The ambient glow helps the eye travel along the dashboard and makes the cabin feel wider, yet the controls stay within easy reach of the steering wheel. Touch points on the center console respond with a subtle vibration, giving a tactile cue instead of loud clicks.

Modules for different car makers

Faurecia, now operating under the Forvia umbrella, builds the Cockpit of the Future as a family of modules so different brands can choose their own layout, finish and digital interface. One OEM might want a floating screen, another a hidden display that fades into a decorative panel.

Inside the concept cars, the physical buttons are reduced to a slim bar below the main screen while secondary functions move to touch surfaces and steering-wheel controls. This keeps the fascia visually clean but requires careful tuning to avoid driver distraction.

Attention to materials and comfort

When you rest your forearm on the door, the soft surface and stitching align with the dashboard contour, wrapping the driver in a consistent design band. The trim feels robust rather than fragile, especially around door pockets and lower panels.

Temperature and airflow are managed by discreet slots in the cockpit structure instead of large visible vents. The air comes through quietly around the wheel and side windows, helping maintain a smooth soundscape during highway driving.

Who is shaping this concept

Patrick Koller, CEO of Forvia, has been pushing the Cockpit of the Future as a central pillar of the group’s interior strategy, linking electronics, seating and trim under one vision. His team talks repeatedly about safer, cleaner and more personalized cabins.

Design leads inside Faurecia’s interiors division work with automakers’ studios to translate that vision into production-ready modules, balancing cost, durability and the desire for bold show-car looks in everyday vehicles.

Position in Forvia’s portfolio and stock note

Net-net, the Cockpit of the Future sits alongside Forvia’s seats and advanced lighting as one of the group’s headline interior systems that can anchor big platform deals with car makers. It is a B2B product, yet it shapes what many drivers will touch and see for years.

Forvia SE shares (ISIN FR0000121147) are listed in Paris, and the Cockpit of the Future remains a reference point when investors discuss the group’s long-term interior-systems business.

This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information without guarantee; prices and availability may change at short notice. No investment advice, no buy or sell recommendation. Stock-market transactions involve risks up to total loss.