LG Aims to Double Auto Display Share by 2018

South Korea's LG Display Co. tells Bloomberg News it hopes to boost its market share of screens used in vehicles to 30% by 2018 from 16% today.

The company's automotive display business generated $485 million in revenue last year, according to James Shin, who heads the unit. He says the operation expects to quadruple sales by 2018 as carmakers increase the number and size of screens in their vehicles' interiors.

Shin says LG is working with an unidentified German carmaker to use organic light-emitting diode displays in cars. Engadget.com reported in April that BMW AG aims to introduce OLEDs by about 2017 for certain interior and exterior lights.

The technology, which works without a backlight, promises displays that are thinner, brighter, more energy efficient and richer in color than liquid crystal or plasma displays. OLEDs also can be "printed" onto flexible plastic substrates.

But the technology currently suffers from high production costs, shorter operating life, susceptibility to water damage and degradation of color balance.

LG is second only to Samsung Electronics Co. in flat-panel display production.