Crystal is shaping the future of automotive interior design

Comfort, intelligence, and personalization are big draw factors for OEMs today – it’s a trend that’s set to accelerate in the years ahead.   

This was brought into sharp focus by the ‘Future of interior in automotive’ report (McKinsey, 2021). It found that 71% of automotive executives expect vehicle interiors to become more important, while only 38% hold the same views about exteriors. Add to this the amount of time we spend in our cars (an average 4.5 years per lifetime), along with further developments in autonomous driving, and it’s no wonder designers are planning car interiors as extensions of the living room.

None of this was lost on Swarovski Mobility, an automotive-focused business unit within Swarovski. Over the preceding years, the world had grown accustomed to the company’s seemingly inexhaustible creative output. It was already associated with a Who’s Who of collaborators drawn from architecture, design, fashion, music, art, film making and the stage. But automotive made news headlines.

Yet it’s easy to see why. The sheer visual opulence of crystal made by Swarovski Mobility at its state-of-the-art automotive production base in Austria is peerless. It’s also the most sustainable crystal on the market. It is the level of refinement in a manufacturing process that produces perfect optical clarity, razor-sharp faceting, and unique purity and brilliance – attributes that have an elevating effect. Cars are no different. Crystal opened up a new way of imparting premium appeal to the luxury car market.

The future of luxury cars lies in sustainability

But it’s not enough to be modern, beautiful and connected – sustainability plays a major role too. These values are at the heart of Swarovski’s ethos. To quote Peter Widmann, Senior Vice President and Managing Director Swarovski Mobility, “All our crystals, including the ones that we create for our automotive partners at our own production facility, are what we refer to as Advanced Crystals. They are made in Austria, they’re lead-free, and they’re produced using sustainable practices. We strive to offer the most responsible and transparent crystals in the market. Conscious luxury is part of our DNA.”

Teamwork makes the dream work

Among Swarovski’s known attributes is its outward-facing attitude and belief in skills-sharing. Groundbreaking change takes deep pockets and years of investment, so why not get together with like-minded innovators who have complementary specialisms and get there faster?

“Strong partnerships with innovation leaders in specialist businesses and experts in interior and exterior solutions are crucial,” says Swarovski Mobility boss, Peter Widmann. “By harnessing our collective creativity and technical knowledge, we bring so much more know-how and experience to our development projects.”

Everything you want in a steering wheel, and more

More than just visually dynamic, crystal has haptic qualities – tactile and kinesthetic cues that are particularly useful to car designers. It took the steering wheel project to truly point up this potential, for which Swarovski Mobility teamed up with plastic surface pioneers, LEONHARD KURZ Stiftung & Co., to collaborate on this groundbreaking innovation.

The partnership unveiled its project in Munich at the IAA Summit in September 2023. What the public saw was something with serious wow factor: intelligent shy tech combined with six luxurious, intricately hand-cut, solid crystals, all backlit and positioned within the wheel. As with all crystals from Swarovski, but particularly necessary in cars, they are highly durable and scratch resistant.

The highly complex, touch-operated sensors are incorporated, completely out of sight. Seamless and intuitive, this gives the driver control of a range of functions with just the lightest touch.

Innovation is only worthwhile if it delivers performance as well as aesthetics, substance as well as style. As Peter Widmann puts it, “We share with our partners an obsession with creativity, innovation, design, craftmanship and sustainability. We don’t rest on tradition – we prioritize new frontiers and ways to extend our capabilities.”