Check the quality of the covering on that instrument panel. The vehicle is the Citroën C4. And the IP is trimmed by Visteon (www.visteon.com) with the company’s InSkin technology. According to Visteon’s Mark Turner, “You no longer talk about gaps because there aren’t any.” The skin is applied to the substrate with a negative vacuum forming process. This permits high grain quality on the surface of the skin, as well as sharp corners and radii. What’s more, decorative trim can be fitted into the tooling during forming, thereby simplifying assembly and providing the means to modify IPs for not only trim levels, but even models when there is a shared platform. Visteon is also working with multi-material stitched skin technology for IPs, such as PVC and leather. As design leader Richard Vaughan noted, “Stitching implies craftsmanship.” The plastic material can be used in high sunload and non-touch areas, and the leather can be used to provide that feeling of upscale amenities.—GSV