Wards Intelligence Q2 Outlook Conference AgendaThursday, 26 June 2025 - ET

This session unveils our first-ever Smart Cockpit Scorecard, a comprehensive benchmarking of 20 leading global OEMs based on their performance in three critical pillars of cockpit innovation: immersive, intelligent, and integrated technologies.

More than just a comparison of features, the scorecard evaluates each OEM’s innovation depth, business strategy, and future readiness, including their hardware and software roadmaps as well as ecosystem development. This talk will dive into the key differentiators shaping OEM competitiveness, the strategic gaps emerging across regions, and what it means for the future of in-car experiences.

As vehicles transition toward software-defined architectures, automotive displays are evolving far beyond their traditional roles. They are now central to enabling safer driving, smarter communication, and a more refined user experience. With growing expectations around intelligent HMIs, the integration of display systems with driver and occupant monitoring (DMS/OMS), smartphone ecosystems, and immersive in-car entertainment is transforming the cockpit into a dynamic interface for both control and comfort.

This presentation highlights the rise of FALD LCD as a cost-effective OLED alternative, the slowdown in OLED adoption, and the challenges Micro LED must overcome. It also explores how displays are being used to boost safety, support seamless connectivity, and deliver premium in-cabin entertainment—redefining what users expect from the modern cockpit.

The shifting tide of U.S. tariffs has made it even tougher to predict what the state of the North American automotive industry will be over the rest of the year. The potential impact of tariff-induced rising costs to local production and vehicle imports, combined with historically lean inventory, could lead to a huge drop in demand in the second half of 2025. Much will depend on whether, and in what ways, the U.S. government continues to modify trade policy, and how much of any higher costs automakers are willing to absorb to limit price hikes - and keep production volumes higher.

Haig Stoddard will sift through the downsides and upsides of these ever-changing dynamics, while sharing the most recent outlook for sales and production in North America through the end of 2025.