Faurecia to Address Impact of Environmentally Friendly and Premium Design at the Ward's Auto Interiors Conference May 19

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Faurecia innovation experts will join other industry thought leaders to discuss environmentally friendly and luxury vehicle interior design trends during the Ward's Auto Interiors Conference, which will be held at the Ritz Carlton in Dearborn, Mich., on May 19, 2010.

Faurecia (http://www.faurecia.com) is a global tier one automotive supplier (No. 5 worldwide) specializing in automotive seating, emissions control technologies, interior systems and automotive exteriors.

Faurecia North America Interior Systems Director of Marketing and Product Planning Jay Hutchins will discuss the increasing demand for environmentally friendly interiors during the 8:30 a.m. Panel 2 breakout session, "The Environmentally Friendly Interior: The Design Perspective." His presentation will focus on perceptions of clean vehicle design, including:

• Vehicle design impact on manufacturing, use, disposal and resources
• Lightweighting as the most direct link to fuel economy
• Reducing toxicity and use of plastics in the vehicle cabin
• Design for disassembly and the end-of-life process, including recycling and recovery

"Lightweighting remains a core interest for automakers, since it directly impacts mileage and emissions," Hutchins said. "A challenge in today's design studios is reducing weight while maintaining cost competitiveness and fulfilling consumers' key interests. To remain in the consumers' consideration set, automakers and suppliers will need to commit to managing weight reduction while finding creative and innovative ways not only to reinforce their winning brand attributes but also to reinvent themselves as the market evolves."

Faurecia is helping the next generation of vehicles get off to a clean start, producing lighter-weight products for improved mileage and less pollution. Since Faurecia's products account for 15 to 20 percent of a vehicle's weight, it has both a responsibility and a commitment to lighten vehicles, improve mileage and reduce pollution for the benefit of customers, consumers and citizens. Faurecia supplies 16 of the 20 most fuel-efficient vehicles in the world.

In addition to addressing environmentally friendly interiors, Faurecia North America Vice President of Marketing and Design Rob Huber will moderate the 11 a.m. Panel 6 breakout session, "Luxury's New Aesthetic: Designing the Premium Interior." The session will highlight the luxury vehicle market and what automakers and suppliers need to do to continue raising the bar in interior luxury.

"In today's market, consumers are demanding more than utility and function in their vehicles, whatever the vehicle segment," Huber said. "This demand creates an opportunity for automakers and supplier partners to improve the perception of luxury and premium as being cost-effective and more readily available in all vehicle segments. Suppliers that are committed to innovation will consistently find ways to create design flexibility for customers through consumer understanding, technology integration and production expertise and help prove that a luxury experience can be possible in any vehicle."

About Faurecia (http://www.faurecia.com)

Faurecia North America had sales of $1.6 billion in 2009. The Group has 29 sites in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and employs more than 9,000 people in the region. It has five technical and development centers, situated in Auburn Hills, Holland and Troy, Mich.; Toledo, Ohio; and Columbus, Ind.

Faurecia is one of the world's leading (No. 5 worldwide) automotive equipment suppliers, with four key business groups: Automotive Seating, Emissions Control Technologies, Interior Systems and Automotive Exteriors. In 2009, the Group posted sales of 9.3 billion euros. The company is headquartered in Nanterre, France, with its North American headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich. It employs 62,000 people in 32 countries at 200 sites and 33 R&D centers. Faurecia is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris stock exchange. For more information visit: www.faurecia.com.

SOURCE Faurecia