Faurecia’s new Premium Attitude concept car reveals the next generation of innovations available to automakers. “The idea of premium is the single biggest trend to be sweeping the automotive market at the moment,” explains Jacques Mauge, Faurecia’s Executive Vice President of Group Customer Development. “Automakers are well aware of this. They are seeking to differentiate their vehicles through the notion of premium. Consumers today want much more than utility and function out of their vehicles. They also want pleasure and status. They want an experience.”
Ten key innovative technologies are revealed on the Faurecia Premium Attitude concept car, ranging from production-ready features that could be utilized today, to production-feasible solutions for the near future.
Sustainable design
large-scale interior real-wood technology Wood: a traditional material used in a new way. A sub-one millimeter (0.02 inch) real-wood laminate is fixed onto a pressed wood fiber board – best described as a much lighter version of Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) widely used in furniture. The concept-car shows also the use of white oak, a very widely available wood in Europe and thus a highly sustainable and recyclable material to use, and figured maple with stained a gray effect color, so that from some angles it looks more like silk.
Self-supporting instrument panel
The new self-supporting instrument panel (IP) that no longer requires a cross-car beam because sufficient strength is built into the structure of the IP itself. This means it can be much narrower and thinner and thus frees up space for designers to reconfigure the front interior ambience. The IP’s airbag system swaps traditional metal or hard plastic lids (which can smash windshields if placed too close) for soft foam and mesh fabric ones which don’t have the same effect on glass and can therefore be positioned much closer to the windshield. Usually the passenger side of an IP will have a glove box below with a function-less skin above – because there is an airbag behind it.
Sliding trunk drawer
Acting just like a chest of drawers in your bedroom, or a toolbox in your garage, Faurecia’s sliding trunk drawer concept uses the same basic idea but makes it feasible for an automobile.
Conformable seat cushion
This innovation electrically elevates the driver seat’s cushion center when the door is opened. This cushion movement offers the triple benefit of optimizing ingress and egress, offering improved lateral support for occupants and reducing uneven wear of the seats.
Multi-functional rear bench
Driver seat with integrated center console armrest and slim seats
Infotainment: Seamless Mobile Integration
Seamless Mobile Integration (or SMI) is a new generic interface system that is developed by one of Faurecia’s partners, and that aims to solve the problem by seamlessly integrating such devices into the vehicle’s electronics and associated operating surface using next-generation Bluetoothstyle shortwave radio technology.
Innovative air vents for climate control
The key innovation is the adoption of airflow technology pioneered in the aircraft industry. Faurecia’s “smart air vent” system uses an onion-shaped body for optimal air swirl delivery – where the airflow follows the shape, known as the Coanda effect.
“Magic wave” instrument panel center screen aperture
This device delivers genuine user benefits by being able to visually shut off elements of the central display to enhance driver concentration, lower distraction and ultimately improve safety. Using similar electronics to the rear center armrest, a “magic skin” – with kinematics hidden under the same material covering the instrument panel giving it a more muscular than mechanical movement – slowly rises from the top of the central instrument panel. It then stretches up to meet the top of the dashboard, covering up the information screens not required at that moment.
Acting just like a chest of drawers in your bedroom, or a toolbox in your garage, Faurecia’s sliding trunk drawer concept uses the same basic idea but makes it feasible for an automobile.
The key innovation is the adoption of airflow technology pioneered in the aircraft industry. Faurecia’s “smart air vent” system uses an onion-shaped body for optimal air swirl delivery – where the airflow follows the shape, known as the Coanda effect.