2015 Detroit Auto Show: Faurecia Unveils Lightweight, Slimmer Seat Using New Materials and Designs

Production-ready "Lightweight and Roomy" seat removes more than 5 pounds from weight of midmarket vehicle front seat

DETROIT -- Jan. 12, 2015: Faurecia, one of the world's leading automotive equipment suppliers, today introduced a significantly lighter-weight, roomier front seat that uses advanced materials and processes and is ready for production for midmarket vehicles.

Faurecia's "Lightweight and Roomy" seat, debuting this week at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS 2015) in Detroit, weighs 5.07 pounds less than Faurecia's lightest current production seat in the C-car segment. Weight savings are compared to a reference seat being produced in North America by Faurecia: A six-way manual seat, which is already the best-in-class lightweight seat in its segment. Faurecia has worked on all fronts with materials to improve not only cushion and backrest structures but also trimming components.

This seat also expands the roominess of the vehicle cabin, offering 1.2 inches of additional space for rear seat legroom or for reducing the overall vehicle length. Roominess results from fashioning Faurecia's slimmest-ever backrest and cover carving technology that reduces the amount of foam required in the headrest. Curved side members with a sculpted light panel provide more knee room for second-row passengers. A lower cross member and recliner and a more forward-positioned rear tube also provide more legroom.

Inside, the seat features the world's first hybrid generic frame, composed of traditional and high-strength steels as well as thermoplastics. The frame has been designed to be fully compatible with Faurecia's generic process already in place on a large scale across the globe. The frame maintains all safety and comfort requirements and is compatible with all of Faurecia's existing and future seating mechanisms.

The following table details the direct weight savings per seat that Faurecia is proposing to the market.

"We are proud to unveil this portfolio of lightweight technologies that are ready for mass production," said Tony Kmeid, vice president of engineering for Faurecia Automotive Seating North America. "Faurecia is on track toward approaching the weight reduction of 8.8 pounds per seat proposed in the Renault EOLAB concept car during the 2014 Paris Motor Show. We continue to work persistently to further reduce the weight of our seats. We put a strong emphasis on proposing solutions that are easy to implement and that offer the expected cost-weight performance."

This latest innovation shows how Faurecia has built on its extensive experience working with automakers on the composite backrest and other lightweight components. That proficiency has led Faurecia engineers toward pragmatic, cost-accessible hybridization, cleverly blending traditional steel, advanced high-strength steel and thermoplastics to fashion its latest frames. Designers incorporate the right material in the right locations to ensure that the frames meet safety standards and, at the same time, enhance seating comfort.