Automotive Engineering
Exposition 2022

Exhibit Report2022 5/25〜27

The Automotive Engineering Exposition originated in 1992 as an automotive technology exhibition for engineers working in the automotive industry. This year’s exposition marked the important milestone of its 30th anniversary. The 2022 exposition, titled “Preview of Upcoming Technologies,” was the first to be held in a hybrid style, with a combination of certain features displayed at real venues—for the first time in three years—and an online exhibition. Although there are still various difficulties in international travel, 484 Japanese and overseas companies related to automobile technology, including nine Japanese automobile manufacturers, participated in the exposition at PACIFICO Yokohama, one of its venues, during the three days from May 25. A total of 43,665 people visited the event. This article reports on Asahi Kasei’s exhibits featuring its third-generation AKXY2 concept car project, as well as other companies’ exhibits that were the most outstanding at the venue from among the many highlights.

AKXY2
Connect People to Each Other
and to the Future

Asahi Kasei Unveiled
the AKXY2 Concept Car!

In 2017, Asahi Kasei unveiled the AKXY, its first concept car. The company unveiled the AKXY POD, which materialized a future vision of automotive interior space, in 2019 and soon after that, started developing ideas for the AKXY2 as its third concept car. However, the COVID-19 pandemic posed many difficult challenges to the project team. Social changes that were taking place in parallel with the progress of the project had a massive impact on the concept of the AKXY2. The team revised the design of the car again and again until they were satisfied. In addition, at the assembly stage, the project was severely affected by current circumstances, including the semiconductor chip shortage and the disruption of parts supply due to the conflict in Ukraine. Nevertheless, the project team succeeded in completing the concept car as initially scheduled and unveiling it at the Yokohama venue. The company’s policy of having people look at, touch and ride in a real concept car, which it has followed since the unveiling of the first AKXY, was also applied to the unveiling of the AKXY2. Numbered tickets for various demo experiences were distributed to visitors who wanted to ride in the car. They enjoyed a first-hand experience with the car in order, with the adoption of thorough COVID-19 control measures.

Offering Visitors Real Experience with the "3S's,”
To Enhance the Value of Mobility

The pillars of the concept of the AKXY2 are the 3S's, which we believe will be crucial to mobility in the future and essential to increasing its value: Sustainability in automotive production; Satisfaction with automobiles; and Society as a partner of automobiles. The AKXY2 is an integration of Asahi Kasei's proprietary automobile-related products and technologies that help realize these themes. Among those products and technologies, 12 representative items were featured and explained on panels displayed at the booth. We were confident that these items, from ones with a proven track record to products of the latest future-oriented research and development, would really attract close attention.

Transparent Canopy Giving Users an Impression of Spaciousness

The AKXY2's futuristic design is eye-catching even from a distance. During a presentation at the exposition venue, the automatic movement of some parts was demonstrated. When the transparent capsule-like canopy opened and moved upward from the metallic exterior body of the car, and a part of the body fell forward and transformed into steps, the audience was wowed in surprise. The unique features of the AKXY2, including the automatic movement of these parts, have resulted from the project team’s focus on the fact that users spend a majority of time with their cars when the cars are parked, although they are a means of transportation. The AKXY2 also embodies the expertise and ideas of the Asahi Kasei Group's housing department, which is a group of professionals in interior space.
When you are actually in the AKXY2, you will find the transparent canopy makes the car feel more spacious than it looks from outside. The concept of a private but 360-degree open space connected to society is materialized not only by the car’s interior space but also its exterior appearance. At the exhibition, visitors talking face to face with each other with a smile while seated in the AKXY2 looked as if they had been enjoying themselves at a cafe on the street.

Air Monitoring and
Seat Temperature Control for Relaxation

The AKXY2 is equipped with a state-of-the-art compact CO2 sensor from Senseair AB, an Asahi Kasei Group company. The instrument panel shows the real-time CO2 concentration level measured by the sensor, telling users when to ventilate the interior space.
The interior fabric from Sage Automotive Interiors, Inc., another Asahi Kasei Group company, is decorated with a rising-sun-inspired beautiful gradation of color, dyed with an ink jet printer.
Installed in the car are two seats: a heating seat and a cooling seat. Both operated at the push of the button or by voice command, the heating and cooling seats offer users a warm feeling and a cool feeling, respectively, utilizing Asahi Kasei’s products and technologies. The heating seat is covered with a beautifully designed sheet of artificial suede—a product of Sage—on top of a layer of heat-generating textile. On the other hand, the cooling seat is covered with Cubit™, a highly breathable three-dimensionally knitted fabric, to enable users to feel cool breezes from the inside of the seat. Both seats are fast acting, so users can experience a warm or cool feel immediately after they are switched on. With a voice command function, which is realized with an AKM (Asahi Kasei Microdevices) DSP, these seats can be switched on and off by voice. The floor is lined with magnetic dots, along which these seats and stools can be attached and detached, allowing users to customize the layout of the interior. The side table fitted in one of the slits in the wall can also be removed or repositioned as another feature designed to bring users the joy of customizing the interior space as they like.

Exhibition of AKXY2 on-board products

The Asahi Kasei exhibition booth comprised three sections, each of which was dedicated to one of the three categories of interior, sustainable coating and instrument panel. While displaying the AKXY2, the booth showcased a total of 12 representative AKXY2 on-board products in those three categories. Introductory information about each of those products was given by the staff in charge to visitors.

INTERIOR

INTERIOR

Intended to be a car in the age of autonomous driving, the interior of the car features a futuristic design, without a steering wheel. Various materials are used on different parts so as to fully utilize their unique characteristics, such as a comfortable feel and design freedom. The interior space is designed to make users feel at home.

SUSTAINABLE COATING

SUSTAINABLE COATING

The concept car uses materials that not only look beautiful, bring design freedom and are durable but also are sustainable. Generally, the coating process has been one of the automobile manufacturing steps that have the severest environmental impact. Asahi Kasei is making further efforts to develop curing agents that can improve the process in environmental terms, coatings that can help replace glass with lightweight resin, and other coating materials.

INSTRUMENT PANEL

インパネ周り

The AKXY2 uses the new optical resin AZP™ and the distinctively pitch-black DELPET™ PB series, as materials for parts around the display. The instrument panel shows the real-time CO2 concentration level measured by the on-board CO2 sensor.

Exhibition of AKXY2 on-board products

Sustainability

Sustainability in automotive production

Asahi Kasei strongly hopes to contribute to making the automotive industry more sustainable from the perspective of manufacturing, including the development of new materials and technologies.

Asahi Kasei strongly hopes to contribute to making the automotive industry more sustainable from the perspective of manufacturing, including the development of new materials and technologies.

DURANATE™

DURANATE™

DURANATE™, a curing agent for highly weather-resistant urethane coatings and resins, features low-viscosity and low-temperature curability, which Asahi Kasei has realized with its proprietary technologies. Thanks to its low viscosity, the agent needs only a small amount of solvent, while its low-temperature curability helps decrease energy consumption, contributing to solving the long-term challenge of reducing harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and CO2 emissions from the coating process. The AKXY2 uses DURANATE as an exterior coat and a clear coat for the side table.

Satisfaction

Satisfaction with automobiles

Now that mobility is no longer just a matter of means for transportation, there is growing public demand for satisfaction with it. The AKXY2 materializes novel ideas and technologies that can fulfill demand for universal value, such as comfort, by providing users with satisfaction through the senses and the freedom to customize the interior space.

Now that mobility is no longer just a matter of means for transportation, there is growing public demand for satisfaction with it. The AKXY2 materializes novel ideas and technologies that can fulfill demand for universal value, such as comfort, by providing users with satisfaction through the senses and the freedom to customize the interior space.

Cubit™

Cubit™

Cubit™, a three-dimensional cubic knitted fabric made from plant-based and recycled raw materials, features high breathability and durability. Leveraging these features of Cubit™, the AKXY2 uses the fabric for the surface of the cooling seat, from which cool air blows out. The user on the seat can keep feeling comfortable, free of any sweaty feel, even during a long summer drive.

Society

Society as a partner of automobiles

Automobiles can offer not only a private space without close contact with other people but also a point of contact with society, providing various real experiences. The AKXY2 is equipped with a transparent canopy and doors that open and close in a unique manner, while its interior space can be customized according to the situation. These advanced features of the car embody a future vision of mobility, which will be more closely integrated into society than today, thereby connecting people to each other seamlessly.

Automobiles can offer not only a private space without close contact with other people but also a point of contact with society, providing various real experiences. The AKXY2 is equipped with a transparent canopy and doors that open and close in a unique manner, while its interior space can be customized according to the situation. These advanced features of the car embody a future vision of mobility, which will be more closely integrated into society than today, thereby connecting people to each other seamlessly.

Hard coating agent for resin glazing

Hard coating agent for resin glazing

This coating agent, developed by Asahi Kasei, helps overcome problems with resin and makes it a promising alternative to glass as a windowpane material. When applied to the surface of polycarbonate resin, this coating agent protects the resin from scratches and keeps it transparent. This agent therefore contributes to the AKXY2’s iconic 360-degree-view transparent canopy.

AKXY2 on-board products

Asahi Kasei×You

Visitors’ answers to the question: “How would you use the AKXY2”?

“AKXY” in the name of the concept car comes from “Asahi Kasei × You,” which represents our aspiration to create a bright future of mobility together with our partners. As its name suggests, the AKXY2 project cannot be completed by Asahi Kasei alone, but it needs co-creation with a wide range of our partners.
At the Yokohama venue, we asked visitors to answer a questionnaire and share their impressions of the AKXY2. Here are some of the comments from visitors.

The AKXY2 looks like a vehicle that I saw in a movie when I was a child.

When inside, I felt as if I were in my living room, rather than being in a car.

I was amazed that the (Cubit™) seat cooled down in a flash.

I like the car very much. The way the door opens is especially cool!
I want to try to put the function in a real car.

Automobiles are now not just a means of transportation, but they also provide private spaces for a wider range of activities while they are parked. I was impressed by the interesting idea for the way the canopy opens.

I believe that, if users can enjoy the freedom to customize interior furnishings and the layout of parts, they will find greater value in automobiles.

I have realized that we are about to enter an age of cars as an integral part of our lives both at home and away from home.

Asahi Kasei SELECTIONS

Seven prominent examples of the 3S's found in other booths during the exposition

The most attractive feature of the Automotive Engineering Exposition is the participation of a very wide range of companies involved in all stages of the life cycle of automobiles, from companies engaged in developing cars, through suppliers of various parts, materials, systems, equipment items, etc., to manufacturers providing cars as end products to end users. Exchanges between them sometimes trigger a kind of unexpected chemical reaction that leads to new innovations.
Just as Asahi Kasei did with the AKXY2, other companies also seemed to showcase the results of their pursuit, from various aspects, of the 3S's—sustainability in automotive production, satisfaction with automobiles, and society as a partner of automobiles—as the key to enhancing the value of automobiles. Below are especially impressive examples found in the booths of seven other companies.

 

Sustainability

Novel kenaf-derived material and
a plant-based self-healing car-body material

Toyota Boshoku Corporation

Toyota Boshoku was one of the participating companies whose booths strongly emphasized their commitment to sustainability. What especially caught our eyes in the booth was plant-based materials. One of those plant-based automobile materials is derived from the kenaf, an annual plant known for its rapid growth and its high capacity to absorb CO2 while it grows. Toyota Boshoku has a proven track record of having had this material used for luxury cars for 20 years. Among the materials displayed at the exposition, this was one of the most outstanding ones for its novelty. Kenaf fiber is sturdy, lightweight, and effective in reducing CO2 emissions across the entire life cycle of a car. Toyota Boshoku also showcased a very interesting, newly developed self-healing polymer. Made from plant seed oil, this is a miraculous polymer with a self-healing feature. When we tried tearing off a sample block of the material into pieces, they easily joined together just by being pressed against each other, giving us a feeling of wonder

 

Society

A car that copilots itself
to protect the safety of the driver from emergencies

Mazda Motor Corporation

The question of how to incorporate autonomous driving technology into society will offer us an opportunity to examine various themes, including the social role and significance of cars and the ethics of technology. Based on the principle of human-centric design, Mazda proposes a safety technology for cars that can work as a “copilot” when an abnormality happens to the driver and help him/her to prevent accidents. Sensors monitor the driver’s line of sight and driving operations. If they find the driver dozing or experiencing a physical abnormality, the system will assist in driving and stop the car in a safe place. After undergoing verification tests, the technology will start being used in mass-produced cars this fall. In the future, there will be further possibilities for the development of the technology, such as collaboration with medical institutions and the use of collected data for daily health maintenance.

 

SustainabilitySatisfaction

Message to environmentally conscious Generation Z

Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

At the exposition, Toyoda Gosei focused on appealing to Generation Z, who are highly conscious of the environment and value their own individualities. Especially eye-catching in the “sustainable-material car” placed at the center of the booth was a bag hook made from gingko shells, which embodies the concept of a “car connected with local communities.” Ginkgo nuts are a specialty of Inazawa City, Aichi Prefecture, where one of the company's plants is located. It is very significant and exciting that gingko shells have undergone an unexpected transformation into an automotive material in line with the company’s policy of effectively utilizing waste from the local community.
The Toyoda Gosei booth staff said that the company was conducting automotive R&D in view of the post-disposal stage to fulfill its responsibility as a manufacturer. Since even parts based on advanced technology do not last forever, the amount of used parts disposed of will continue to increase. Toyoda Gosei wants to explore what to do after disposal together with other companies and the general public. The booth staff gave a very impressive comment: “We hope to ensure that resources that have once entered Japan from abroad through our supply chain will be recycled forever for continuous use.”

 

Satisfaction

A car that you can operate with non-contact gestures like a conductor

Tokai Rika Co., Ltd.

Tokai Rika’s “intelligent cockpit,” has been developed based on the concept of “a cockpit monitoring the driver, understanding his/her intention, and responding appropriately to him/her.” We tried sitting in the cockpit packed with the company’s state-of-the-art technologies (sensors, AI, and algorithms). We found its non-contact system very interesting. When you want to operate the monitor, it approaches you in response to your hand gestures. When you reach out to look for something in the car, a spotlight shines on the spot your hand reaches. You can also open and close the glass roof just by waving your hand near the ceiling. You can thus operate various objects in the cockpit without touching anything. The company uses a skeleton detection technology to monitor the movement of human hands. This technology is capable of monitoring the movement of the whole body and therefore applicable to operational management at plants, for example. The Tokai Rika booth staff offered a very interesting comment: “We are exploring how to detect people’s intentions anticipatorily so that they can do various things with ease.”

 

SustainabilitySatisfaction

New materials made from waste from Hiroshima’s local specialties and a futuristic “Shy Tech”

DaikyoNishikawa Corporation

DaikyoNishikawa’s booth was emblazoned with the slogan “FUTURE, WITH PLASTIC.” The booth featured various plastic automotive parts and technologies. Among them were new materials made from a mixture of plastic and waste especially close to the lives of people in Hiroshima, where the company is based, such as denim scraps, oyster shells, and rice chaff. The new materials were used effectively with the colors and texture of those raw materials incorporated into designs, inspiring our feeling of affinity and our expectations for the potential of plastic. The booth also displayed a concept model for a next-generation interior, which is planned to be applied to real cars around 2030. The highlight of the model was the application of so-called “Shy Tech” to a control panel and a display, which are hidden when they are not in use but appear through the interior surface when the surface is touched gently with a finger. The booth allowed us to imagine how delightful next-generation cars will be with a futuristic design and a new type of comfortable interior space.

 

SustainabilitySociety

Hoping to realize “forests running in cities”

Toyota Auto Body Co., Ltd.

Toyota Auto Body’s booth focused on the three pillars of the company’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality: the super-compact battery electric vehicle (BEV) COMS; fuel cell circuit parts technology; and the manufacture of products using plant-based materials. Interested in the third pillar in particular, we asked the Toyota Auto Body staff in charge about the plant-based materials’ ability to reduce CO2 emissions across the entire life cycle of a car, which starts with the procurement of materials. The staff said that the company had researched and developed a resin material containing cedar wood from forest thinning in the local area with the original intention of using it as a made-in-Japan material for car models for the domestic market. The company has adopted a policy of manufacturing cars for overseas markets with wood that is gathered locally, from areas as near as possible to its production bases. When the staff present this initiative at the request of European companies interested in it, those companies highly value it as an initiative for the local consumption of local products. “Despite common misunderstanding, wood is actually highly heat-resistant and lightweight, so it is used in many applications that few people are aware of. Producing a car with many parts made of wood-derived materials will mean “making forests run.” We hope to make a lot of such cars to “make forests run in cities” while planting many trees in forests, thereby ensuring that forests will spread more widely around us,” the staff said about their dream.

 

Satisfaction

Maximizing the interior space by embedding a motor in the wheel

Hitachi Astemo, Ltd.

In the exhibition zone for its electric powertrain system, Hitachi Astemo displayed in-wheel motors as an approach to providing a comfortable, large automotive interior space. Motors embedded in the wheels will help enlarge the interior space and provide greater freedom of body designs. This approach is also excellent in efficient energy use, transmitting the rotational energy of the motors directly to the wheels. The booth staff said that they still faced various technical hurdles to clear, including the need to make this technology more reliable in the face of vibrations from road surfaces and to resolve problems entailed by the integration of motor and wheel. They expressed their hope of continuing to conduct verification tests to ensure that this kind of in-wheel motor will be utilized in future EVs in an age of autonomous driving, providing us with a futuristic perspective.

Creating for Tomorrow

Creating for Tomorrow

A close look at the exposition from the perspective of the 3S's, the pillars of the concept of the AKXY2—Sustainability in automotive production, Satisfaction with automobiles, and Society as a partner of automobiles—has revealed that companies differ in their focus and approach even when they are pursuing the same goals. Every technology has many people behind it and embodies their thoughts and hopes. The exposition has reminded us that, throughout its history, the entire automotive industry has always developed products by combining many technologies to fulfill people’s dreams. Technological capabilities support and lead the current once-in-a-century era of drastic changes in the entire automotive industry. The Asahi Kasei Group will play a part in this important era by leveraging its technological capabilities in a wide range of fields, including materials development. And we will continue our journey with the AKXY2 to find “you” who will be partners in our initiative to co-create a better future.