Innovative surface materials from Continental – designed for the future of mobility

The allround concept of the AMBIENC3 is the “3rd Space,” a space that combines driving, working and relaxing in the vehicle interior and offers design concepts tailored precisely to the individual application. What makes the concept vehicle so special, however, are the surface materials from Continental. “With their properties, our surfaces support driving, working and relaxing. The areas are separated by color, design and function,” says Ralf Imbery, Head of Innovation, Transformation and Design at Continental’s surface experts.

The issue of sustainability plays an important role in this: “Our idea was to develop a vehicle that’s made primarily from sustainable materials – based on natural and renewable raw materials, while consistently saving wood and genuine leather,” emphasizes Imbery. “The development of authentic surfaces and high-quality products is very important to us here. We also support our customers and suppliers in their efforts to become more sustainable.” For this reason, Continental’s surface specialists are increasingly using recycled materials or materials from upcycling as well as low emission and low pollution materials for the vehicle interior. Lightweight surfaces also help save vehicle weight. As a result, energy consumption is reduced, emissions are further reduced, and electric vehicles have a longer range.

Staynu and laif technology from Continental are widely used in the AMBIENC3. The staynu technology ensures that the material stays and looks new for longer – which conserves resources. The laif technology effects that the material is permeable to air and water vapor. This results in particular comfort, impressive softness and special acoustic properties.

The automotive industry has long been in agreement that the future is “autonomous driving.” And this is precisely the context that Continental has created the perfect interior for, with the AMBIENC3 and its 3rd Space concept. Because if you no longer have to focus on driving and pay constant attention to the traffic, you have time to relax or work. “The design always has an eye on the allround concept: Good design should not only be sustainable, but also natural and inspiring – based on the shapes of nature and consistently focused on use,” says Imbery. This also means that it must be intuitive, so that everything works without permanently visible buttons and switches. For Continental, this is not an utopian vision, but a concept that could soon go into production – not least thanks to “shy technology,” which hides buttons until they’re needed.