09 May IAC CONTENT FEATURED IN NINE OF WARDS 10 BEST INTERIORS
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., (May 9, 2016) – Nine of the Wards 10 Best Interiors award winners feature content supplied by leading automotive interiors supplier International Automotive Components (IAC). These winning interiors will be recognized at the Wards 10 Best Interiors ceremony during the WardsAuto Interiors Conference on May 11 at Cobo Center in Detroit.
“Whether it is an economy car or a luxury SUV, you can have an award-winning interior no matter the class of your vehicle,” said IAC Vice President of Advanced Development and Materials Engineering Rose Ryntz, who will moderate the Materials Innovations panel discussion at the conference. “At IAC, we pride ourselves in our product and material innovations that support our original equipment manufacturer customers’ visions for world-class interiors, and this year’s Wards 10 Best Interiors winners reflect this holistic commitment to interior design.”
The nine 2016 Best Interiors featuring IAC content are the:
- BMW 7-Series – Overhead/headliner, soft trim and acoustics insulation
- Cadillac XT5 – Overhead/headliner
- Chevrolet Camaro – Instrument panel, overhead/headliner, door panels and console
- Chrysler Pacifica – Overhead/headliner and soft trim
- Honda Civic – Acoustic insulation
- Lexus RX – Overhead/headliner
- Mercedes-Benz GLC – Soft trim and acoustic insulation
- Nissan Maxima – Door panels and overhead/headliner
- Volvo XC90 – Instrument panel and door panels
The Wards 10 Best Interiors award winners are selected based on aesthetics and design harmony, materials, ergonomics, safety, comfort, value and fit-and-finish. WardsAuto editors also test the user-friendliness of the human-machine interface to see how effectively vehicle information is communicated.
These defining features along with many other interior industry topics will be discussed during various panel sessions throughout the conference. One topic sure to come up during the Materials Innovations panel moderated by Ryntz is the industry’s lightweighting challenge.
“Interiors need to be lighter, but that doesn’t mean they are allowed to be louder,” said Ryntz. “IAC is utilizing unique acoustic materials to help keep cabins quiet while helping vehicles lose weight to improve fuel efficiency.”
To help OEMs build lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles, IAC recently launched its all-new FiberFrame™ environmentally sustainable and lightweight, natural fiber sunroof frame. FiberFrame™ replaces the sunroof’s metal reinforcement frame with a lighter frame employing strong natural fibers using a new raw material composed of 70 percent renewable raw material content. The new product has high stiffness for improved structural rigidity and enables up to 50 percent in weight savings when compared to conventional metal-reinforced steel frames.
ABOUT IAC
International Automotive Components (IAC) is a leading global supplier of interior automotive components and systems. The company’s 2015 sales were $5.9 billion. Headquartered in Luxembourg, IAC Group operates 85 manufacturing facilities in 20 countries. The company has 105 total locations in 22 countries, including 28 design, technical and commercial centers, and employs more than 32,000 people globally. For more information, visit iacgroup.wpengine.com.
