Toyoda Gosei develops hidden air vent for car cabins

Toyoda Gosei has developed an air conditioning vent for car interiors that hides the directional fins behind a slimmer aperture, with the part now in use on the Toyota bZ7 launched in China in March 2026. The Japanese supplier said the design uses an airflow control mechanism developed through computational flow analysis to keep cabin comfort steady.

The fins that adjust airflow up and down sit behind the aperture rather than across it, which the company said allows the vent to be integrated more flush into the instrument panel. Toyoda Gosei said the change addresses growing OEM interest in cleaner-looking instrument panels as cabins are reshaped around electrified and autonomous vehicle architectures.

Operation has also moved from manual louvres to electronic control through the in-car screen. The Kiyosu-based supplier framed the part as a response to changing cabin design requirements, with vehicle interiors increasingly being styled as living-room-like spaces rather than purely functional movement environments.

The bZ7 is the launch application for the new vent, with Toyoda Gosei not naming further programmes at this stage. The supplier did not disclose financial terms of the Toyota contract or unit volumes.

Source: Toyoda Gosei