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Lear Receives Top Ratings for Seat Design In New Volvo V70

29 August 2000

Lear Receives Top Ratings for Seat Design In New Volvo V70

    SULZBACH, Germany, Aug. 28 Independent tests performed and
published by top Swedish national paper, Aftonbladet, have given top ratings
for comfort and space flexibility to the seats manufactured by Lear
Corporation for the new Volvo V70 Cross Country (XC) model.
    (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000828/DEM018 )
    The innovative Lear seat design offers the world's first super
configurable rear seat in a car, featuring a convertible center seat which can
be transformed into extra storage space, a tabletop and armrest area, or
simply more comfortable "lean back" space.  Lear also has significant
electronic and electrical content on the V70 XC model, including the engine
wiring harness, junction box and electrical distribution system.
    The V70 XC features two spacious rear seats divided by the independent
center unit in a 40/20/40 seating configuration.  The freestanding center
seat, which is coordinated to perfectly match the material and design of the
adjacent seats, can be folded down or removed to produce enough space to
accommodate a small refrigerator or a custom-fitted storage container designed
by Volvo.
    "We are pleased that independent testing of the new Volvo V70 XC has
confirmed that the Lear-developed seats are both comfortable and versatile,"
said Randall Carron, President - International Operations for Lear.  "The Lear
team worked closely with Volvo engineers to achieve this excellent result."
    Aftonbladet rated the front seats as "the best on the market" in terms of
comfort and also highlighted the space utilization of the rear seats.  The new
seats, which went into production earlier this year at Torslanda in
Gothenburg, Sweden, were designed and developed in close collaboration with
Volvo for maximum flexibility, comfort and convenience.
    The intricate rear seat design is the result of tenacious engineering and
design effort, which required that skillful mechanical, materials and
acoustics engineering be balanced with sound safety and ergonomic standards.
    Lear and Volvo engineers also incorporated new safety features into the
rear seat design to meet Volvo's stringent safety criteria.  Throughout the
development process, the seats were tested at Volvo's Safety Center, located
adjacent to Lear's Torslanda facilities in Sweden.
    "We were honored to be selected to develop this novel and technically
challenging design, and the end result is a stylish and comfortable rear seat
that offers a variety of space-saving options," said Ulrik Bryntesson, Program
Manager for Lear's Volvo business.