Panoramic sunroofs aren't just for luxury

Baby boomers might recall the Jetsons tooling around Orbit City in their glass-roofed, bubble-top cars.

Well, cars don't have glass bubble-top roofs -- at least not yet -- but panoramic sunroofs are catching on.

For the 2015 model year, 30 models equipped with panoramic sunroofs were available in the U.S., up from 12 five model years ago, according to Edmunds.com.

"You are definitely seeing panoramic roofs trickling down" from the luxury segment into mass-market vehicles, said Edmunds.com analyst Jeremy Acevedo. For car buyers, "it can be the icing on the cake."

Suppliers poised to profit from the trend are companies such as Webasto Group, Inalfa Roof Systems Group and Inteva Products, a Troy, Mich., supplier of door panels, instrument panels and interior trim.

Inteva, which was spun off from Delphi Automotive in 2008, markets a line of sunroofs that generated about $1 billion in sales in 2014 -- roughly a third of its total revenue.

The company expanded its presence in that segment when it acquired the body systems division of ArvinMeritor in 2011. That deal doubled Inteva's size and gave it a bigger presence in Europe and Asia. In an interview last month, Inteva CEO Lon Offenbacher said sales in that segment are growing 15 percent annually.

For vehicles that offer an optional panoramic sunroof, the "take rate" in Europe and North America is 30 to 40 percent, Offenbacher said. In China, the take rate rises close to 100 percent on some models. Chinese customers "will buy it over a radio," Offenbacher quipped. "It's incredible."

In years past, automakers often designed panoramic sunroofs for concept cars to make the interiors airy and luxurious. But they rarely made it into production because they were heavy and affected the roof's structural integrity.

About a decade ago, a couple of technical advances made panoramic roofs more practical. Engineers used lightweight materials such as aluminum and plastic to design lighter sunroof frames, and they used high-strength steel to reinforce the A- and B-pillars.

Automakers began introducing large sunroofs in the early 2000s, and now they can be found on models such as the Hyundai Veloster, Scion tC and Mini Cooper.

Prices vary widely, but panoramic sunroofs can be quite affordable. For example, the Mini Cooper hardtop offers it as a $1,000 option, while it's standard on the Scion.

Jason Allan, managing editor of KBB.com, expects panoramic sunroofs will continue to grow in popularity as automakers add pizazz to compact vehicles.

"Panoramic sunroofs currently enjoy a novelty factor that regular sunroofs lost decades ago," Allan wrote in an email. "Even buyers who would refuse to pay for a traditional sunroof are being enticed by panoramic sunroofs."

Offenbacher is optimistic about Inteva's growth potential in this segment. Inteva supplies Mercedes, Audi, Porsche and others, and Offenbacher expects the roster of customers will grow.

At a time when automakers are upgrading cockpits to make them seem spacious and airy, a panoramic sunroof can have great effect in a subcompact car, making it feel roomier and less claustrophobic. And that can be a make-or-break issue for car buyers.

"When you are sitting in the car, it feels like a convertible -- but without the convertible's disadvantages," Offenbacher said. "It changes the interior of the car. You feel the difference."