At CES 2025, Hyundai Mobis introduced its Holographic Windshield Display (HWD), which the company claims as a world-first innovation in automotive technology.
Unlike traditional head-up displays, the HWD spans the entire windshield and uses projectors placed beneath the dashboard along with a specialized film embedded with a Holographic Optical Element (HOE). Hyundai Mobis explained that this technology uses light diffraction to project images and videos directly to the viewer’s eyes, providing a more intuitive and immersive experience for vehicle occupants.
Demonstrated on a Kia EV9 at the event, the HWD projects driving data, navigation, and music playlists onto the lower section of the windshield. This results in clearer visuals inside the car, regardless of external lighting conditions.
Hyundai Mobis highlighted that the system produces brighter and more colorful images than conventional head-up displays, while still maintaining the transparent appearance of the windshield from the outside. The technology also allows for different content to be viewed by the driver and front-seat passenger. For example, the driver can see driving information, while the passenger can watch videos or play games.
The HWD technology has been developed in collaboration with German optical company ZEISS, and is still being refined. The companies plan to complete pre-development by next year, with mass production expected to begin in 2027. Hyundai Mobis aims to strengthen its partnership with ZEISS to bring the technology to the global automotive market.
In addition to Hyundai Mobis’ display, BMW also showcased a windshield-based technology at CES. The German automaker introduced the Panoramic Vision feature, part of its new Panoramic iDrive system, which also projects information across the entire width of the windshield.
However, unlike the HWD, BMW’s system projects onto a black printed surface. Panoramic iDrive is expected to appear in production vehicles by the end of 2025, with the iX3 electric SUV likely to be the first model to feature it.
