Seats of tomorrow

Specialising in automotive seating systems, Adient is looking at addressing the seating needs of CV manufacturers.

Specialising in automotive seating systems, Adient is keen to address the needs of the CV industry.

Adient has begun work on a new facility at Pune. It will be the company’s technology centre, and complement the existing facility not very far from the new facility. Keen to address the seating needs of CV manufacturers in India, Adient is looking at the Pune technology centre to support its future endeavours, which under the term ‘Seats of Tommorrow’ point at trends like safety, electrification, light weighting, connectivity, urbanisation, shared ownership and shared rides, Internet of Things, smart materials, autonomous driving, individualisation and new shapes. Catering to Tata Motors and Mahindra and Mahindra, Adient is keeping a close tab on the developments in the CV industry in India with the view of providing smart and intelligent seating solutions. Having identified major mid-term trends that are expected to drive the change in the way seating is perceived in commercial vehicles, the company, according to Dr. Detlef Juerss, VicePresident, Engineering and Chief Technical Officer, is looking at level-three automation (partial automation), automotive electrification, fuel efficiency, shared mobility and customised interior solutions.

Expecting autonomy to scale up to level-five, Adient is looking at new service and maintenance business models to drive growth. Working on integrated safety seating systems for commercial vehicles, the company is also working on features like heating, cooling, controls, lights, and storage, which are prevalent in passenger vehicles. Offering seating solutions that range from