- Hyundai Transys premiers a future mobility seat concept with sustainable leather and innovative materials under the theme ‘Shift to Regenerative Mobility’ at Lineapelle 2022
- ‘Seoul to Milan’ color concept represents the collaboration between Korea and Italy to achieve the mutual goal of fostering a sustainable future
- Seat concept embodies Hyundai Transys’ design and development capabilities and commitment to minimizing waste and upcycling
- Hyundai Transys to exhibit the seat design at Milan Design Week in June after Lineapelle
SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 22, 2022 – Hyundai Transys, a worldwide auto parts maker and Hyundai Motor Group affiliate, showcased its unique future mobility seat idea today at Lineapelle International Leather Fair 2022 in Milan, Italy, the largest trade show of its type.
Under the subject ‘Shift to Regenerative Mobility,’ Hyundai Transys is presenting its color-material-finish (CMF) concept seat in the fair’s innovation section. In collaboration with Italian and Korean manufacturers, the company developed new sustainable leather and other regenerative materials to produce a novel seat idea made from tanning waste. The leather fair was chosen by Hyundai Transys to present the concept, which is in keeping with the company’s aim for a more sustainable future.
Launched in 1981, Lineapelle is the most important international exhibition dedicated to leather, accessories, components, synthetics, and models for footwear, leather goods, garments and furniture. With a shared value of sustainability, Hyundai Transys worked with Lineapelle to utilize upcycled leather and other sustainable materials developed by innovative Italian manufacturers Dani S.P.A., Manifattura di Domodossola and Dyloan as well as Korean suppliers Dual and ATKO Planning.
With a design concept called ‘Seoul to Milan,’ the concept seat represents their common objective of sustainability through the use of regenerative materials and visualizes that value transcending time and geography. The two major hues termed ‘Seoul Grey’ for the Korean capital’s metropolitan cityscape and granite peaks, and ‘Milano Brown’ for the Italian city’s classical architecture and famed tanneries, are used to connect the cities through colors and patterns. Furthermore, Seoul’s city lights are represented as pixels, whilst Milan’s gothic Duomo cathedral is represented as stripes.
Tanned leathers are employed in the seat portions where endurance is essential, while braided leathers are used in the seatback bolsters to add a new textural twist while reducing cutting waste. Leather scraps were crushed to a powder and spun into yarn, which was then blended with yarn manufactured from recycled PET bottles to create a one-of-a-kind regenerated fabric for the floor.
Along with these innovative materials, Hyundai Transys used upcycled felt fabric and 3D printing to structure the headrest out of regenerated aluminum powder to give the model a cohesive look while demonstrating sustainable applications of such materials. The seat frame model is also an upcycled product from 2018, brought back to life for this project to provide a sustainable approach inside-out.
“When autonomous driving mobility spaces become everyday places in our lives, material research and development from the eco-friendly perspective shown in this concept seat will become more important for the future of mobility,” said Sung-kyung Hong, Design Team Lader at Hyundai Transys.
Due to the material’s luxuriousness and durability, the automotive industry is one of the largest uses of leather. However, in recent years, sustainability and ethical concerns have made leather a difficult material to employ. The novel method to leather regeneration demonstrated by Hyundai Transys’ future mobility seat idea is a significant step forward for sustainable materials in the future.
Hyundai Transys’ booth at Lineapelle shows the company’s vision of a sustainable future and its work with innovative partners to achieve it. The booth provides an immersive space for visitors to experience various aspects of the future mobility seat design — from a storyboard showing how the project started to the display of the partners’ sustainable materials and a resting zone with stools covered in upcycled leather. For customers who feel uneasy about visiting the booth due to the ongoing pandemic, Hyundai Transys is also providing a virtual exhibition page.
Based on its mission, ‘Transformation to Sustainable Mobility,’ Hyundai Transys reduces its environmental effect by minimizing waste, migrating to reusable energy, and developing eco-friendly products. In addition, the company has been trying to modernize interior space and seat design for future mobility solutions, such as autonomous driving and electric vehicles, which open up new possibilities for innovation. The CMF concept on display at Lineapelle is a significant step in aligning Hyundai Motor Group’s product portfolio with its vision of clean mobility and aim of carbon neutrality by 2045.
After Lineapelle, Hyundai Transys’s mobility seat concept will be displayed at Spazio Lineapelle, Lineapelle’s HQ in Milan from April to June and will continue to be exhibited at Milan Design Week in June 2022 for a broader audience.
Hyundai Transys is an innovative technology company specializing in automotive seating and powertrains that aims to be a key supplier in the new mobility industry. The company has 30 sites across 10 countries, with over 9,100 employees worldwide. In 2021, Hyundai Transys ranked 34th by Automotive News magazine among global auto parts manufacturers based on sales revenue. https://www.hyundai-transys.com/en/main.do.
SOURCE Hyundai Transys