Abstract: The instrument panel in a motor vehicle exhibits an interior, rigid reinforcement panel, a foamed-plastic layer located thereabove and an outer skin which covers said layer. A cover which likewise exhibits this construction is integrated into the instrument panel in front of an airbag unit, which cover, in the event of a crash, can move away and releases an opening through which an airbag can unfold out of its receiving container behind the instrument panel. The reinforcement portion of the cover is a separated-off part of the adjoining reinforcement-panel surface. The process for producing an instrument panel of this type is carried out such that, before or after foaming of the entire reinforcement panel, the opening cover is separated from said panel.