Spotlight on innovation in exterior design: LEONHARD KURZ showcases production readiness and design expertise at the IAA Summit 2025

Fürth/Germany, August 13, 2025: You never get a second chance to make a first impression - and that also applies to the exterior appearance of vehicles. LEONHARD KURZ will be demonstrating how striking, functional, and sustainable design can be implemented with forward-looking concepts at the IAA Summit from September 9 to 12, as part of IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich. Together with renowned partners such as Swarovski Mobility, ams OSRAM, and the RONAL GROUP, the company will present innovative approaches to the design of rear lights, headlights, and rims that are ready for series production.

“The exterior is the first point of contact between people and vehicles. Our solutions show how technological sophistication and visionary, inspiring design come together in an industrially scalable way,” emphasizes Luitpold Haarländer, Head of Business Area Plastic Decoration Automotive at KURZ.

Invisible when stationary, impossible to miss when in use

With the Rear Light Concept, developed in cooperation with ams OSRAM, KURZ shows how rear lights can be completely reinterpreted. The decorated exterior remains elegantly dark until the light is activated. Only then do individually programmable signatures become visible – precisely illuminated by ALIYOS™ LED foils from ams OSRAM integrated on the rear, whose mini LED technology allows for particularly compact light integration.

The particular strength lies in the design freedom offered by the IMD (In-Mold Decoration) process, which allows the implementation of visual depth, graphic structures, or color gradients. The technology can also be applied to three-dimensional geometries, opening up a wide range of design options. Whether signature light design, text and image messages for C2X communication, or integrated surface structures: Design becomes a carrier of messages. This opens up completely new possibilities for OEMs to express their brand aesthetics in components suitable for series production. Optionally, the component can also be finished with a DECOPUR^® polyurethane coating, which provides depth and texture and also has self-healing properties.

Innovation and charisma: Headlights as a stage for light and luxury

With the FrontIQ Light Concept, LEONHARD KURZ, Swarovski Mobility, and lighting technology specialist SP3 are presenting a forward-looking headlight design that combines technology with aesthetic expression. The lighting system, developed primarily by SP3, relies on customizable crystals from Swarovski, which not only enable targeted light control but also create brand-specific visual signatures. Along the upper edge of the headlight, an innovative combination of functions dynamically displays the direction indicator in orange and the vehicle status in automated driving mode in cyan. A segmented communication light in the center of the headlight allows interaction with other road users. Holographic carbon structures on the inner edge of the headlight give the FrontIQ a unique signature. The design remains completely flexible and can be adapted to any vehicle design.

Technically, the concept is based on a series-ready, highly efficient 3K process that processes multiple materials in a single process step, significantly reducing production time, costs, and CO2 emissions. An additional PUR coating protects the surface permanently without reducing its visual depth or brilliance. The highly efficient production process can be integrated into existing production lines, allows for the addition of heating elements for possible radar sensors, and enables the use of recycled materials.

Rim design reimagined: Structure, function, and brand impact at a glance

LEONHARD KURZ adds a new dimension to wheel design. Together with the RONAL GROUP for aluminum wheels and Magnetto Wheels and Zanini for steel wheels, we create rim solutions that are technically impressive and visually striking.. Hot stamping is used as a decorative process for the aluminum version. Here, metallized decors are applied directly to aluminum wheel surfaces. Micro-embossing creates holographic depth effects and light reflections that are visible from every angle, whether in the metallized ‘Dark Chrome’ design or as individually branded designs. This efficient technology, which enables partial and filigree color effects, represents an additional, future-proof finishing option for aluminum wheels.

A modular concept has been developed for steel rims, in which separately decorated plastic inserts with aerodynamically optimized shapes create striking design effects and bold looks. The solution is also ideal for the aftermarket and enables manufacturers to respond flexibly to design trends and new market changes.

The concept is specially tailored to the requirements of electric mobility for wheels. Instead of heat dissipation, the focus is increasingly on aerodynamics, CO₂ balance, and weight. Steel is gaining importance here because it is light and robust. The material itself is also crucial for the climate balance: It ensures a low CO₂ footprint. On the other hand, the appearance can be customized and individualized with different aero covers.

KURZ's ultra-thin decorative layer, finer than a human hair, does not impair the recyclability of the component and thus fits seamlessly into the sustainable design concept.

The patent-pending KURZ 3D PERFORMANCE+ decoration process scores with low reject rates and also reduces CO₂ emissions during production. The result is durable rims with an expressive design that can be produced efficiently and set new standards in sustainability.

At a glance

IAA Summit 2025 from September 9 to 12, 2025, in Munich
LEONHARD KURZ Stiftung & Co. KG: Hall A1, Booth C21
Focus of the trade fair presentation: Exterior Design, Interior Design, Visionary Design, Sustainability