Interview with Michael Bantel, Hella Innenleuchten-Systeme
“Software-defined control is the key technology”
Michael Bantel on stage at the Automotive Lighting Conference 2026 in Munich.
Benjamin Müller
Interior lighting is becoming a functional layer of the vehicle architecture, expected to support safety, orientation and brand differentiation despite tight cost and packaging limits. Michael Bantel of Hella explains what will make that scalable.
Interior lighting is becoming an increasingly integrated part of the vehicle’s digital architecture, supporting functions ranging from orientation and warnings to personalisation and entertainment. Michael Bantel, Head of Interior Lighting Development Global at Hella Innenleuchten-Systeme, began his career in optics development before gaining experience in Tier 1 project management and taking responsibility for global interior-lighting development.
At the Automotive Lighting Conference 2026, he presented future technologies for exterior and interior lighting. Following his presentatiion in Munich, we caught up with him to discuss why software-defined control is the key enabler, where system integration still falls short and how regional preferences shape future concepts.
ADT: Which decision being made today will most strongly determine how lighting creates value in future vehicle interiors – through safety, user experience, personalisation or brand differentiation?
Put simply, the future value of interior lighting will be determined by whether it conveys information or creates atmosphere. In other words, the most decisive choice today is defining the primary purpose that interior lighting is meant to serve. That said, the target market matters to a significant extent. Market preferences naturally exist along a spectrum: in China and parts of Asia, there is a stronger inclination towards ambient-focused, personalised lighting experiences, while European and North American drivers tend to prioritise functional clarity. Feature-on-demand concepts make this spectrum highly manageable, turning regional differences into a real competitive advantage.
Looking ahead three to five years, what will be the biggest bottleneck in turning intelligent interior lighting from a comfort feature into a scalable part of the overall vehicle architecture?
I would not consider it a bottleneck as such. What we need to address is the deep integration of interior lighting into the central vehicle architecture. Today, interior lighting is still largely treated as an isolated feature. In the future, it will have to function as a software-defined, orchestrated part of the entire user experience in the vehicle cabin. This will only be possible when interior lighting is anchored as an adaptable service in the software-defined vehicle.
Where do current approaches to interior lighting still fall short when it comes to integrating optics, electronics, software and vehicle functions into real-world programmes?
The main challenge lies in the interfaces between the various disciplines that contribute to the vehicle interior. What we need to develop more consistently going forward are holistic system concepts. Today, the different components that make up vehicle interiors are often developed and sourced separately from each other: optics are driven by product requirements, electronics are cost-optimised, software is function-specific and vehicle functions remain siloed by domain. If we want to develop vehicle interiors into a “third space” – and this includes interior lighting – it may be helpful to incorporate the lighting aspect earlier in the process chain and consider it more coherently.
From a global interior lighting development perspective, which technologies will have the strongest impact on next-generation vehicle interiors – dynamic ambient lighting, miniaturised optics, sensor integration or software-defined control?
Software-defined control is the key technology, and it is the enabler for everything else. The integration of driver monitoring, interior sensors and environmental data creates the context that gives light its significant added value. It is what makes personalisation and coordinated lighting experiences possible in the first place. Adaptive lighting – whether used for warnings, driver activities or comfort – transforms light from a static feature into a smart, responsive system. It becomes modular, capable of operating across multiple platforms and cross-functional. A third dimension adds further relevance, particularly in Asian markets: the vehicle is increasingly used not for driving, but as a mobile living space for gaming, streaming or entertainment. In these scenarios, light becomes part of the experience itself, responding to content, mood and user interaction rather than road conditions. Software-defined control makes this shift possible without redesigns or compromises. The strongest innovation is not the light itself – it is the intelligence that controls it.
How is interior lighting evolving from static illumination towards an adaptive HMI element that supports comfort, orientation, driver awareness and emotional experience?
It is becoming increasingly context-based, data-driven and functionally integrated. This again brings us back to what we have discussed: the integration of sensors, data and software. Light no longer responds only to direct user behaviour – it reacts to driving status, environmental conditions and the driver’s state, actively supporting orientation, safety and emotional experience at the same time. This shift from reactive to anticipatory lighting defines the transition to true HMI relevance. When light communicates rather than simply illuminates, it becomes a meaningful part of the human-machine dialogue inside the vehicle.
Based on your experience in optics development and Tier 1 project management, where do practical constraints such as packaging, thermal behaviour, cost, validation and regional requirements most strongly shape future lighting concepts?
I would narrow it down to two aspects: industrial boundary conditions on the one hand and costs on the other. The most decisive factors are rarely related to the vision for the function. They are much more about assembly effort, automation capability, thermal management and, above all, installation space. Loudspeakers, airbags and structural components compete directly with interior lighting for the same space in the cabin. The second aspect is cost, which is, of course, a top priority in the market at the moment. This means that “nice-to-have” features often disappear first. Ultimately, this is where our mission stems from. We must prove time and again that interior lighting is not merely “nice to have”, but that it delivers significant added value to the vehicle architecture and serves as a genuine differentiation criterion.
