Decorative automotive interior trim articles with integral light stable polyurethane elastomer covering and process for making the same

An article comprising a panel structure mountable in an automobile vehicle to form a part of the interior thereof, the panel structure having an exterior surface exposed to the vehicle interior and an interior surface which is hidden from the vehicle interior when the panel structure is mounted in the automobile vehicle, said panel structure comprising:

• a rigid substrate having one surface defining said interior surface;
• a layered composite structure comprising an outer layer defining at least a portion of said exposed exterior surface of the panel structure and an inner layer, said layered composite structure being united with an opposite surface of said rigid substrate so that said rigid substrate serves to reinforce said outer layer while retaining the touch and color of the exposed portion;
• said outer layer having the touch, color, and configuration of said panel structure and comprising an at least substantially dried, light-stable, crosslinked polyurethane formulated from a water-dispersed composition comprising at least one desired coloring agent, at least one light-stable aliphatic thermoplastic polyurethane containing at least one pendent functional group selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups, and a heat-activated crosslinker, said at least one light-stable aliphatic thermoplastic polyurethane being molded with and crosslinked by the heat-activated crosslinker on a mold surface shaped to define a corresponding configuration of said outer layer and also being dried on the mold surface;
• and
• said inner layer being thicker than said outer layer and comprising a polyurethane elastomer formulated from a rapidly reacting composition containing at least one polyisocyanate and at least one polyol, said polyurethane elastomer being crosslinked with the polyurethane of the outer layer via said heat-activated crosslinker such that said inner layer has a surface adjacent to and interfacially chemically bonded with an inner surface of said outer layer, said inner layer and said interfacial chemical bonds being formed by spraying said rapidly reacting composition onto said inner surface of said outer layer while the outer layer is on said mold surface.