LEONHARD KURZ presents design and material solutions
Fürth/Germany, August 27, 2025: The requirements for vehicle interiors have changed: Comfort and functionality alone are no longer enough. What is needed is distinctive design, intuitive operation, and sustainable materials. At the IAA Summit as part of IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich from September 9 to 12, LEONHARD KURZ will showcase visionary surface technologies that combine sustainable design, intuitive operation, and brand-specific aesthetics. The focus will be on new designs for decorative elements, innovative materials based on KURZ's own rPET, and integrated displays with sensory control.
“Interior design is increasingly becoming a distinguishing feature for car brands. Our solutions combine design expertise with environmental responsibility and can be implemented in an industry-oriented manner,” explains Luitpold Haarländer, Head of Business Area Plastic Decoration Automotive at KURZ.
Deep black as a design statement: Deep Black Surfaces
Bold, clear, high-quality: With Deep Black Surfaces, KURZ presents a new generation of surfaces that combine a deep black look with functional added value. The special coating reduces reflections and improves the readability of plastic displays – even in direct sunlight. This makes it possible to create plastic displays that are virtually indistinguishable from glass display elements in terms of their high-quality display quality. Plastic add-on parts with this feature can also be seamlessly and invisibly connected to glass elements, which also makes a strong aesthetic statement. In combination with touch functions, this creates a unique user experience with smart hidden-til-lit technology. Reflections and light reflections are minimized to bring focus and clarity to the forefront, especially on heavily used surfaces. The technology can be efficiently integrated into existing manufacturing processes and opens up new possibilities for brands that want to achieve high-quality surface effects in combination with displays.
3D Spatial Effects for visual presence in interiors
How do you create space where there is none? KURZ's 3D Spatial Effects show how visual depth can be achieved on completely flat surfaces without any physical elevation. Holographic and diffractive effects are used to incorporate movement, light, and perspective into interior design in a fascinating way. These flat yet vibrant surfaces open up new ways to design trim strips, controls, or decorative elements with color gradients or dynamic light reflections that can be seamlessly integrated into modern vehicle interiors. OEMs benefit from a tool that makes their design language visible and tangible without interfering with the architecture of the vehicle. This is because, despite their 3D effect, the design elements do not require any additional installation space.
Design with attitude: Smart Display Center Console combines sustainability and user experience
The Smart Display Center Console, developed in collaboration with project partners Farplas, Topp Textil, and Technofibres, exemplifies the change in interior design: Away from conventional materials and toward intelligent surfaces that combine function, design, and sustainability. A technical textile solution made from recycled PET (rPET) based on KURZ's own take-back and recycling system, KURZ RECOSYS®, is used to replace classic leather upholstery. The new, environmentally conscious textile design language is visually and haptically appealing and also helps to meet the requirements of the EU recycling directive for new vehicles.
Operation is capacitive via multi-touch sensors from KURZ subsidiary PolyIC, leaving the surface free of buttons or switches and creating a modern, uncluttered feel.
This creates clear added value for OEMs: The use of recycled material that is both environmentally friendly and brand-defining – customizable in terms of structure and color and complemented by interaction.
At a glance
IAA Summit 2025 from September 9 to 12, 2025, in Munich (Germany)
LEONHARD KURZ Stiftung & Co. KG: Hall A1, Booth C21
Focus of the trade fair presentation: Exterior Design, Interior Design, Visionary Design, Sustainability
