Faurecia previews the future of automotive design at the 2013 LA Auto Show

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- At the LA Auto Show, Faurecia (www.faurecialaautoshow.com) offers visions for the near future of automotive seating and interiors, along with new lightweighting and design technologies that are ready for the road.

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During the LA Auto Show press days Nov. 20-21, journalists will find brand-new, intelligent technologies from Faurecia Interior Systems and Faurecia Automotive Seating that significantly advance the use of natural materials for interior structures and transform the way seats are styled. These demonstrations will be augmented in Detroit, for the North American International Auto Show in January, with the latest innovations from Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies and Faurecia Automotive Exteriors.

At its LA Auto Show exhibit in the South Hall, Upper Level Lobby of the LA Convention Center, Faurecia will introduce a number of new approaches to building and activating interior and seating systems, highlighted by:

• Performance 2.0, a full front cabin and driver's door with:
  • A glove box that opens with a gesture.
  • A heated armrest.
  • A wireless charging area in the console that streams content to a tablet mounted on the back of the driver's seat.
  • Retractable touch screens that replace conventional gauges and controls.
  • Extensive use of natural fibers.
• BioAttitude, which presents Faurecia's advancements in the use of natural materials for interior structures, including:
  • BioMat, a mixture of completely natural substances, creating an injection material with 100 percent bio-based fibers and matrix alike.
  • NAFILean, a material employing hemp-based fibers that reduces weight by 20-25 percent compared with standard injection-molded parts.
  • Lignolite, a substance with 85 percent wood fibers for traditional compression processes.
• Sculpted seat covers and backs, which transform the relationship between seats and seating covers.
  • Rather than the cover taking the shape of the seat, the seat accommodates creative sculpted covers, with embedded 3D effects and customized markings.
  • With a single type of foam pad, manufacturers can offer sculpted covers in many different variations, because the styling is in the cover, rather than the pad.

Other Faurecia innovations at LA include an interactive vision wall that illustrates ways to reinvigorate drivers so they feel better after a long trip than they did when they started, along with advanced options for trim, colorful and decorative seams, and large areas of wood in three dimensions for interior surfaces.

"At the LA Auto Show, Faurecia drives design with new possibilities for natural materials and natural interfaces," said Faurecia North America President Mike Heneka. "We are committed to an automotive future that is lighter, more customizable, more comfortable and more convenient for vehicle buyers through entirely new paths, guiding the industry away from oil-based products, away from conventional latches and gauges, and away from the limitations of styling."

About Faurecia
Faurecia is the world's sixth–largest automotive supplier, with four Business Groups: Automotive Seating, Emissions Control Technologies, Interior Systems and Automotive Exteriors. In 2012, the Group posted sales of $22.5 billion. Faurecia employs 94,000 people in 34 countries at 320 sites and 30 R&D centers. Faurecia is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris exchange.

In North America, Faurecia had sales of $6 billion in 2012. It employs more than 20,000 people at 47 locations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Connect with Faurecia North America at www.facebook.com/faureciaNA, www.twitter.com/faureciaNA, and www.pinterest.com/faureciaNA.

SOURCE Faurecia North America