LONDON – A U.K.-based Formula 1 race car designer joins a program to shave weight from traditional automotive seats by one-third.
The Manufacturability of Advanced Passenger Seats (MAPS) Project is a research-based collaboration between technology companies Gordon Murray Design and automotive tooling and lightweighting specialist Formaplex.
The 12-month
It also expects to meet all European homologation standards while being affordable for both low- and high-volume vehicles.
Gordon Murray Design will focus on using advanced composite panels based on recycled carbon fiber while maintaining the high-volume, low-cost benefits of its original iStream lightweighting production technology.
The objective is to develop a seat frame that is 30% lighter than the incumbent steel frame.
Gordon Murray, chairman of Gordon Murray Design, says his company “is pleased to be an active participant in this important UK research initiative, aimed at an important further development of the revolutionary iStream manufacturing technology.
“The