Cupra – a subsidiary of Spanish car manufacturer SEAT – has announced the incorporation of Bcomp’s natural fiber composite solutions for the new Cup Bucket seats in the Cupra Born VZ electric vehicle.
The initiative is part of Cupra’s broader focus on sustainability which aims to incorporate eco-friendly design and advanced engineering into the automotive industry.
Cupra has collaborated with Bcomp, a solutions provider for natural fiber reinforcements, and Sabelt, a manufacturer of car seats, seatbelts and motorsport solutions.
This joint effort has led to the creation of the first full natural fiber Cup Bucket seats in the Cupra line-up. These seats, made from Bcomp’s proprietary ampliTex material, replace traditional carbon and glass fiber seatbacks.
Per Mårtensson, chief revenue officer at Bcomp, said, “Everyone involved from Cupra, Sabelt and Bcomp showcased unparalleled agility to deliver a world-first series high-performance natural fiber bucket seat within an extremely short timeframe, challenging standard automotive go-to-market timelines in favor of sustainability.”
Cupra says making this change results in a 49% reduction in CO2 emissions during production compared to the previous hybrid version. Additionally, the natural fibers reportedly improve vibration damping and safety.
Francesca Sangalli, head of color and trim and concept and strategy at Cupra, added, “We’ve been researching the use of flax fiber 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 fiber in the interior of a car.”
The natural fiber-based Cup Bucket seats are available exclusively in the high-performance Cupra Born VZ, which has 322hp and 545Nm of torque, accelerating from 0 to 100km/h in 5.7 seconds and reaching a top speed of 200km/h.
