Car seats are something we normally sit in without thinking about it, but having suffered from severe haemorrhoids has changed my perspective a little. Sitting in a seat for long periods of time, whether at work or on the move, puts a strain on the buttocks, which eventually becomes fatigued. With haemorrhoids, this manifests itself as pain. During the actual treatment, I used numerous seats, including work chairs, trains, buses and private cars. As a result, we found that the driver’s seat in our own car caused the least pain and we realised how effective car seats are in reducing fatigue. In automotive technology, attention tends to focus on electric powertrains and ADAS sensors. However, in mobility services such as personal advanced driver assistance technology and self-driving taxis, which are expected to become widespread in the future, we expect that the importance of seat development will be higher than ever before, as improved ride comfort and fatigue reduction technology could be a major area of competition.

The circumstances surrounding the automotive industry are constantly changing, and so are the scales of technology. Reducing CO2 emissions through vehicle weight reduction is still an important technological issue, but nowadays, when decarbonisation and climate neutrality are the focus of attention, reducing CO2 emissions during production and recycling through life cycle assessment (LCA) is also an issue. There is not always a single right answer, as it depends on the power supply mix and raw materials in the production area. The situation for powertrains is the same, and there are continuing possibilities for a wide range of technologies, not only BEVs, but also HEVs, PHEVs, FCEVs and eFuel.
　’Software-defined vehicles’, where the car is defined by software, are also attracting attention. Advances in automated driving/ADAS, enhanced in-vehicle infotainment and over-the-air (OTA) updates require vehicles to seamlessly integrate into the user’s digital life. In this connection, new trends are emerging one after another in the design of the interior/exterior and cockpit area.
Based on the global situation, market environment and regulatory trends, the characteristics of various new technologies are investigated and comparative analyses are carried out across car manufacturers and suppliers. It also introduces various new technologies and services that could lead to new business models.