The organizers of the Vehicle Display Interface (VDI) 2026 conference in Detroit, brought two fully-functional advanced cars to the exhibition floor to allow attendees to see the displays in these vehicles up-close. On display were the Cadillac Lyriq, with Kai-Han Chang from GM’s R&D team (working mainly on head-up displays) and the Dodge Charger Sketch, with Michael Bork, Advanced Development Engineer at Stellantis.
Kai-Han first described the display technology in the Lyriq.
Center/main display
- A 33-inch LED-backlit display with very high resolution (mentioned as around 9K), notable for achieving deep black levels.
Augmented reality head-up display (AR-HUD)
- Dual image plane design: one at 3.5 meters, another closer (roughly 1 meter) for near-field vehicle information.
- Three display modes:
- Assisted mode – navigation info shown on the far image plane; vehicle information stays on the near image plane.
- Augmented reality/navigation mode – best suited for navigation, with directional arrows highlighting turns and destination.
- Super Cruise integration – supports lane-change-on-demand, with the AR-HUD showing the vehicle’s intended lane-change action while driving on the highway.
- On whether the AR graphics (e.g., lane-change markers) are “world-locked” vs. “car-locked”: Kai-Han says the graphics have some degree of world-locking, achieved by adjusting image size to convey perceived depth, though this is described as a continuing area of improvement.
- The HUD hardware was developed by Envisics, using LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon) spatial light modulators and RGB lasers — described as a sophisticated optical system.
Michael then described the display and lighting features in the Dodge Charger Sketch concept vehicle.
- Ambient lighting (“Attitude Adjustment”) – Customizable interior lighting colors tied to driver mood (e.g., red for aggressive driving, blue/green for calm), intentionally kept “modest but powerful” so as not to overshadow the vehicle’s powertrain.
- Infotainment displays – A 12.3″ Uconnect 5 center display and a 16″ instrument cluster, both using full-array local-dimming backlights, designed to create an immersive, “jet fighter cockpit”-like driving experience.
- Head-up display (HUD):
o A large field-of-view HUD projecting an image at a virtual image distance (VID) of about 3.5 meters, with a comfortable viewing distance beyond 3 meters.
o Field of view: 8° x 3°.
o Uses a 3.1″ TFT panel to generate sufficient magnification without excess image distortion/expansion.
o Despite appearing tilted/slanted with content on two different visual planes (e.g., speed limit appearing closer than the speedometer reading), Bork clarifies it’s actually a conventional (non-tilted-plane) HUD perpendicular to the driver’s gaze — the layered visual effect is attributed to the HMI/UX team’s graphic design work rather than the optical hardware.
o Also supports a performance-mode display showing driving stats while cornering. - What’s next – Bork declines to disclose specifics but teases more technology coming across the Dodge lineup and other Stellantis brands, inviting the interviewer back next year.