TRW says it has designed a new anchor seat belt pretensioner in a rotary configuration (known as the APR1) to further strengthen its product portfolio, especially for challenging packaging situations.

The APR1 features a lighter weight design and more compact packaging resulting in an easy integration for vehicle manufacturer interiors. There is no linkage element necessary and only the normal seat belt webbing will be visible in the vehicle cabin. It is designed to deliver pretensioning forces of more than 3 kN, which can help to remove some seat belt slack within milliseconds of a crash being detected .

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

When combined with TRW’s full spectrum of occupant protection seat belt and airbag options, the APR1 helps form the basis of advanced adaptive occupant technologies designed to help manage occupant energy in an unavoidable crash scenario, TRW says.

Norbert Kagerer, vice president Occupant Safety Systems engineering, TRW, said: “The APR1 design offers vehicle manufacturers a number of options and advantages compared with existing systems.

“We are seeing strong interest globally for APR1 due to its packaging, weight and performance attributes. The rotary design helps deliver enhanced pretensioning functionality and TRW is uniquely positioned to combine this technology with other occupant safety and active safety technologies to sense a crash and react to the unique characteristics of the crash.”

Just Auto Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Auto Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Continental has secured the Window Displays Innovation Award in the 2025 Just Auto Excellence Awards for its Window Projection solution, transforming side windows into dynamic, data-rich canvases. Discover how this compact projection technology and intelligent software are reshaping in-car UX and opening fresh revenue streams for OEMs and mobility providers.

Discover the Impact