CUPRA, a subsidiary of Spanish car manufacturer SEAT and a Volkswagen Group company, has developed fully natural-fibre seatbacks in its new Born VZ electric vehicle.
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It says the new material is developed from flax-based composites.
The sporty brand also says the high-performance materials used for the Sabelt-manufactured CUP bucket seats can be seamlessly integrated into production while reducing emissions in half – lightening the vehicle to reduce energy demand, and offering end-of-life recyclability.
The use of supplier Bcomp’s high-performance bio-composite materials provide the seat’s under-structure. CUPRA also says it significantly improves manufacturing by reducing both waste and processing time for the part.
All top range CUPRA Born VZ are to have full natural-fibre front seats with Bcomp’s high-performance ‘ampliTex’. It is claimed Bcomp’s natural fibre materials enable a reduction of 49% of CO2 emissions in seats’ production compared to previous version.
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By GlobalDataPer Mårtensson, Chief Revenue Officer at Bcomp, said: “Everyone involved from CUPRA, Sabelt and Bcomp showcased unparalleled agility to deliver a world’s first series high-performance natural fibre bucket seat within an extremely short timeframe, challenging standard automotive go-to-market timelines in favour of sustainability. We at Bcomp are happy to prove once again, that we can deliver quality competitive products for the large volume market that offer a much more sustainable solution to automotive interiors than standard materials.”
Francesca Sangalli, Head of Colour & Trim Concept & Strategy at CUPRA, adds: “We’ve been researching the use of flax fibre for some time to integrate it in our car seats. We presented this project at the Unstoppable Impulse event in Terramar and are now happy to say that it’s been successfully implemented. We are changing the sporty aesthetics to incorporate a functional part made of flax fibre in the interior of a car.”
