Faurecia’s automotive system is 2016 PACE Awards finalist

October 27, 2015 - France

Faurecia, one of the leading automotives supplier from France, with four business groups: automotive seating, emissions control technologies, interior systems and automotive exteriors, has announced that two breakthrough technologies from Faurecia Automotive Seating and Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies have been named among the 28 finalists for the prestigious 2016 Automotive News PACE Awards.

The two innovations are Cover Carving Technology and Adaptive Valve. Faurecia’s Sculpted Cover offers design freedom, style and enhanced durability where personalization is achieved through trim cover and foam pad diversity. The Faurecia-patented manufacturing process used in the sculpted lightweight panel requires 80 per cent less tooling cost versus a traditional plastic back panel and enables concave and convex embossing shapes, marking and sewing lines. The lighter panel saves up to 1.8 kg per car set versus plastic back panels.

The Adaptive Valve enables the use of smaller silencers to achieve benchmark noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) and reduces exhaust mass by up to 30 per cent. By cancelling the low frequencies generated by cylinder deactivation, the Adaptive Valve enables this fuel-saving technology without the driver hearing any cues that the engine has changed from eight cylinders to four, according to a press release.

Faurecia North America President Mark Stidham said, “We’re honoured to have Faurecia technologies recognised as finalists for next year’s PACE Awards. We’ve long recognised that the current, evolutionary automotive trends that have led to minor improvements in fuel efficiency and weight savings will need to give way to revolutionary changes in order to meet 2025 CAFÉ standards. The Cover Carving and Adaptive valve technologies are strong examples of Faurecia leading automotive design and innovation while meeting consumer quality and safety expectations.”

Sponsored by Ernst & Young, Automotive News and the Transportation Research Center, the annual PACE Awards, known globally as the “Oscars of innovation,” recognise superior innovation, technological advancement and business performance among automotive suppliers. (GK)