Ferrari And Samsung Partners Up To Develop In-car OLED Displays

Ferrari will be using Samsung Display’s organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panels in future models. No financial details were disclosed. Vigna has previously said that as Ferrari is focusing investment on electrification, the company would use external suppliers for non-crucial components or software.

At the 2023 CES in Las Vegas in January, Samsung Display unveiled its New Digital Cockpit with a 34-inch slim display and bendable technology that creates 700 radius curvature during driving mode.

The South Korean company will develop “bespoke OLED technology display solutions” for the next generation of Ferraris, Chief Executive Benedetto Vigna said in a statement.

The heads of Ferrari and Samsung Display signed a memorandum of understanding in Asan, South Korea, for which no financial details were disclosed. Vigna has previously said that as Ferrari is focusing investment on electrification, the company would use external suppliers for non-crucial components or software. 

Samsung Display, which plans to invest more than 3 billion dollars in the manufacturing of OLED panels in Asan, is a unit of Samsung Electronics

The industry standard in this day and age is to have all-digital everything. It starts from the instrument cluster to massive iPad-like infotainment screens to even passenger displays. While these are common among high-volume cars, things aren’t quite the same with supercars.

Ferrari is a good example. All their driver-focussed cars lack a central infotainment display, whereas the “mainstream” items feature a touchscreen unit. The rationale is pretty simple. When you’re doing triple-digit speeds, you don’t want many distractions. Although all Ferraris are pretty good at breaking speed limits, the company reckons only their “supercars” deserve an all-driver-focussed approach.

We have seen a lot of OEMs move to an all-touch-based interior, which according to them offers a cleaner look. Tesla, Mercedes, Audi, and BMW are notable examples. It’s not like Ferrari is against having touchscreens/controls in their cars. In fact, regardless of the model and type, all modern Ferraris (except the F8 and 812 platforms) have moved to a haptic-style layout.

As for infotainment displays on Ferraris, it seems the Italian carmaker is keen on offering them as a “luxury” feature. Ferrari thinks a touchscreen display is part of a car’s luxury experience. Although all Ferraris are luxurious in nature, the brand insists that the feature be limited to their comfort-oriented grand tourers. The flagship supercars are more hardcore, and Ferrari reckons having a touchscreen display robs the driver of the whole supercar experience. The only exception here is the Purosangue, which is a luxury Ferrari but without a central touchscreen.

As far as car brands go, Ferrari is perhaps the most stubborn, sometimes even suing its customers. Much like Apple in the smartphone world, Ferrari very rarely admits that they are wrong. Journalists have long been ranting about Ferrari removing the wiper/indicator stocks, but they still continue that on all their cars. It’s almost counter-intuitive to what Ferrari intends with the whole no-distractions idea.

Likewise, central touchscreens on supercars are not very distracting in our opinion. They just add to the usability. Sure it might get outdated, but the screen makes the car easier to live with. McLarens have been featuring touchscreens for quite some time, and the company is extremely fastidious about driver ergonomics.

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