Johnson Controls may not be a name that’s familiar to a lot of you, but their products almost always end up staring us right in the face at times when we don’t even realize it.
As a supplier of interior technology, Johnson Controls holds a certain cache that not of us even realize. That’s why it was especially cool to see the company attend the Detroit Auto Show with a hollow shell of a Kia Soul->ke2186 with all their goodies dressed up in the interior.
Called the ie:3 Concept, the vehicle consists of Johnson Controls’ latest technological features that are designed to have three main benefits: delighting buyers, giving automakers an opportunity to be different from each other, and improving their own sustainability.
Among the features found on the ie:3 – ‘IE’ stands for Inspired Efficiency – include single-piece stamped seats that are ergonomically designed to save space. The company also has features new FaserTac seat pads made from natural fibers.
That’s only the beginning, too.
Hit the jump for more details on the Kia Soul ie:3 Concept.
2011 Kia Soul ie:3 Concept
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- Model: 2011 Kia Soul ie:3 Concept
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The concept’s interior also has a headliner that serves as a large speaker, freeing up more space where the door-mounted speakers are usually located. Then there’s the Human Machine Interface, which features a transparent heads-up display that boasts of a 6.5-inch transreflective display with another 8.8-inch central display that can be controlled through a number of ways: a touch interface or a controller mounted on a sliding rail that can be found between the car’s two front seats. Complementing the whole package is the unique LED lighting that further enhances the car's overall interior ambiance.
We’ve touched on the interior without even delving into the drivetrain Johnson Controls put in: a 23-kWh lithium ion battery pack that sits beneath the floor and is estimated to carry a range of 100 miles.
Those interior upgrades and still, Johnson Controls managed to increase the space of the Soul’s interior. Call that mighty impressive, to say the least.