There is so much work and engineering stuffed into modern automobiles, one could quite literally focus on one specific portion of a build and strive for excellence. Luckily, Opel has done just that when referring to the seating in the 2016 Opel Astra K.
The 2016 Astra aims to become the benchmark in the compact hatchback segment and, if the car’s ergonomic wellness seats have anything to do with it, it may be well on its way (and maybe as a Buick, too…)
Much thought went into maximizing rear legroom in the 2016 Astra, ensuring backseat passengers were cozy, despite sitting in the dreaded rear of a compact car. This was done by focusing on the knee area in general, and Opel has used materials to create a thinner packaged seat, but without foregoing comfort. It’s been tested by a robotic machine applying pressure over and over, mimic the function of a human sitting down in the vehicle for months. Only, the process can show how the seat holds up in no time at all.
When it comes to being the benchmark in its class, the 2016 Astra ups the ante with heated, cooled and massaging seat, the first car in its class to offer such a function. The lumbar support acts as the massage function, cleverly packaging the technology to save weight. Opel says their goal was to offer each basic luxury comfort found in some of the most luxurious cars on the market today. It seems they’ve achieved that goal, and possibly surpassed it when taking in the entire interior.
You can watch a brief clip on the seat manufacturing and technology process down below, and see how Opel plans its resurgence one fine detail at a time.
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Andrew Leuchtmann, the first speaker in this video, is GM’s global development manager for seat structures.
The video is a companion to the two-part interview he gave for the German language Opel Blog, read the first part (those who are able to understand German) at http://www.opel-blog.com/2015/07/07/opel-sitzchef-packt-aus-milliarden-geschaeft/
In this interview, he said that the seat-structure team in the international development center at the Opel headquarters in Rüsselsheim was responsible globally for the development and production of 15.6 million front seat structures and 5 million rear seat structures produced in 2014, which means the front seats of 7.8 million vehicles, just two million vehicles less than what GM achieved to sell in 2014.
This corresponded, Leuchtmann said, to a sales volume of 1.4 thousand million USD.
Andrew Leuchtmann began his career at GM 33 years ago as an apprentice at the Opel facility in Rüsselsheim, Germany.