The in-cabin experience has come a long way from the days when a good interior was defined largely by comfortable seats, decent materials and a well-laid-out dashboard. Over time, screens, ambient lighting, panoramic roofs and increasingly sophisticated materials have changed how we interact with the space inside a car. Today, the cabin is as much about the atmosphere it creates as the functions it performs.
Trosifol® SkyViera® takes that idea a step further, turning one of the cabin’s most familiar features into something rather less conventional. A panoramic glass roof has traditionally been about bringing the outside in, opening up the cabin to natural light and the view overhead. SkyViera® adds another dimension to that experience, integrating an illuminated pattern within the glass itself and making the roof an active part of the interior’s design.
The technology can be seen in the Mahindra BE 6, where it gives the panoramic roof a distinctive presence after dark. But the appeal goes beyond the visual effect. By combining laminated safety glass with integrated lighting and a customisable pattern, SkyViera® explores how an established automotive component can contribute more meaningfully to the experience of being inside a car.
The interesting part of SkyViera® lies in how the effect is achieved. At its foundation is laminated safety glass, a familiar construction in automotive applications. Two layers of glass are bonded together with a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer sandwiched between them. This interlayer is central to the technology, providing the medium in which the visual design is incorporated.
The graphic is printed directly onto the PVB interlayer before the glass is laminated. Once the layers are bonded, the pattern is encapsulated within the glass rather than applied to its exposed surface. This is an important distinction: the design becomes part of the glass construction itself, rather than a finish sitting on top of it.
The illumination comes from LED light sources integrated into the roof system. Light is guided through the glazing and interacts with the printed pattern, bringing the design to life. The result is an illuminated surface that can be appreciated from within the cabin, without relying on a conventional light fitting or a graphic applied to the roof lining.
There is also scope for manufacturers to tailor the lighting pattern before production. This allows the roof’s visual identity to be adapted to a particular vehicle, creating an opportunity for differentiation that goes beyond the usual choices of materials, colours and trim finishes.
For automakers, that flexibility matters. As cabin design becomes an increasingly important part of a vehicle’s identity, the ability to integrate a distinctive visual signature into an existing architectural element opens up another avenue for design. The roof need not be merely a source of daylight; it can contribute to the character of the cabin, too.
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The effect is most apparent at night. In daylight, the panoramic roof continues to perform its familiar role, bringing natural light into the cabin and opening up the view overhead. Once the surroundings darken, however, the illuminated pattern becomes more prominent, adding another layer to the cabin’s ambience.
This is where the technology makes its strongest case. Automotive interiors are increasingly designed around the way occupants interact with their surroundings, from the arrangement of displays and controls to the materials and lighting used throughout the cabin. Ambient lighting is already an established part of this approach, but SkyViera® extends the idea to a surface that would ordinarily remain passive.
Crucially, the visual innovation does not come at the expense of the practical considerations of automotive glazing. The PVB interlayer continues to perform its underlying role in laminated safety glass, helping hold fragments together if the glass breaks. Depending on the glass construction, the interlayer can also contribute to acoustic comfort, ultraviolet protection and light management. These functions remain relevant even as the material takes on an additional aesthetic purpose.
The most successful interior technologies are often those that improve the experience without demanding attention. You may not immediately think about the PVB interlayer, the printed pattern or the way light travels through the glass. What you notice instead is the effect they create, and how a part of the car you would ordinarily look through has become something worth looking at.
That is ultimately what makes Trosifol® SkyViera® interesting. It brings material science, lighting and automotive design together in a way that serves both form and function. And in doing so, it offers a fresh perspective on a component that has remained largely unchanged in its purpose for years.
The panoramic roof has long been about looking out. With Kuraray’s SkyViera®, there is now a reason to look up, too.
