"Made in Italy" Alcantara Comes to the Geneva Motor Show

GENEVA--March 9, 2012: From the Maserati GranTurismo to the Fiat 500L, Alcantara® is prominently on display at the 82nd annual Geneva Motor Show.

Top-of-the-line automobiles making world premieres in Geneva, such as the Aston Martin V12 Zagato, the Maserati GranTurismo Sport, the BMW M550d and the Fiat 500L, feature Alcantara® in their interiors -- on seats, headliners, pillars, door panels, steering wheels and gearsticks.

Soft, wear-resistant and 100-percent Italian made, Alcantara® has become a luxury material of choice not only for cars, but also within the fashion, interior-design, boating and consumer-electronics industries.

"There isn't a market segment or new product that hasn't batted its eyelashes at this material," notes Andrea Boragno, chairman and CEO of Alcantara S.p.A. "Thanks to the product's stylishness, its unique qualities and our ability to offer our automotive partners a variety of customised applications, we have been able to supply upholstery for some of the auto industry's most luxurious cars for many years."

At the Geneva show, Alcantara® surrounds would-be drivers and passengers in the racy cockpits of sports cars such as the Aston Martin V12 Zagato and Lamborghini's most recent models.

The interiors of Fiat's Abarth range, from the 595 up to the Punto Scorpione, are dressed out with the unique Italian material as well, thanks to its breathability and stylish flair. The Toyota GT 86, on display for the first time in Europe, and the Citroen DS4 Racing also have turned to Alcantara® to underline their racy designs.

"Luxury-interior designers have chosen Alcantara® because its elegance and texture transcend passing trends in much the same way as the auto industry's leading brands," Boragno says. "We are talking about the Maserati GranTurismo Sport, making its world premiere in Geneva; the Jaguar XK RS with its steering wheel in Alcantara®; the Audi TT RS Plus with its headlining, and the BMW M550d and BMW X6 M50d which use Alcantara® on ceiling, door panels and seats."

Alcantara® also is "carbon neutral," an attractive feature for a number of automakers, especially in the design of hybrid vehicles and concept cars where the focus often turns to the environment. The Peugeot 508 RXH shown in Geneva, for example, features the Italian-made material.

"Alcantara® is a material that can be used in all kinds of contexts with customised applications not only in the automotive world, but also in the fashion industry, interior design, the luxury boating industry and consumer electronics," adds Boragno. "It's a unique 100-percent Italian-made material that also can express all of a product's essential values -- whether sporty, luxurious, every-day, fashionable or eco-friendly."