Covestro, Marquardt and E Ink embed displays in car interiors

Covestro, Marquardt and E Ink have jointly developed a transparent polyurethane (PU) coating that allows e-paper displays to be embedded behind synthetic automotive interior surfaces without altering their visual or haptic properties. The solution was created for Marquardt’s concept car, The Centum, in which the technology is demonstrated through a door interior panel featuring a dynamic colour-changing display integrated within a standard PU-coated textile surface.

The coating is based on Covestro’s INSQIN waterborne PU technology, using Impranil DLC-F as its foundation. The transparent film preserves the texture of conventional automotive textiles while allowing E Ink’s e-paper display colours to remain visible through the surface, enabling backlit surfaces and integrated control elements without modifying the established material finish.

In a statement, Felix Hake, Head of Innovation at Marquardt, said: “With The Centum, we wanted to demonstrate how intelligent functions can be integrated into interior surfaces without compromising design or quality. Working with E Ink and Covestro allowed us to create a material solution that combines a premium tactile experience with responsive visual effects.”

Dr Torsten Pohl, Global Head of Textile Coatings at Covestro, added: “By developing a transparent, automotive-grade PU coated synthetic compatible with E Ink displays, we were able to support Marquardt in integrating dynamic functionality into familiar surface materials.”

A door panel demonstrator will be exhibited at Techtextil 2026 in Frankfurt from 21 to 24 April at the Covestro booth.

Source: Covestro