Fabric VS Leather: A New Revolution in Automotive Interior Fabrics

Core Reminder: With the rapid development of the automotive industry in China, the consumer group structure is becoming more youthful, and the consumption concept is gradually maturing, pursuing more environmentally friendly, comfortable, and convenient driving life. With the rapid development of the automotive industry, the consumer group structure tends to be younger, and the consumption concept is gradually maturing, pursuing more environmentally friendly, comfortable, convenient, personalized driving and living. Especially for the interior space, we look forward to highlighting the atmosphere of ourselves and home. Based on this, many interior and material manufacturers have started new research and development processes to meet the needs of new era car owners, including the development of new automotive fabrics. Nowadays, in the automotive fabric market, it is still known as the world of "tall and superior" leather. How can new fabrics stand and how can they expand in the future? Recently, the reporter interviewed Zou Li, the manager of the automotive fabric business unit of Johnson Controls Professional Automotive Interior Group in China, to discuss the above issues. The demand competition among car owners is currently in the Chinese automotive market, and the post-80s generation has gradually become the main consumer group. In the future, the younger post-90s generation will also become an important purchasing power in the automotive market, presenting diversified and personalized characteristics in consumer demand and value system. The consumer groups of 60 and 70, although relatively conservative, are gradually changing their mindset. In fact, 80% of car seats in Europe are made of new fabrics such as fabrics, mainly because consumers believe that the new fabrics have strong plasticity and selectivity, which can better showcase personality and release themselves.

Chinese consumers are undergoing a transformation in this regard, especially the young group, as we can see through the best-selling SUVs. Therefore, we have great confidence in the Chinese market Zou Li said. She told reporters that for the main car models selected by the 80s and 90s generation, Johnson Controls will pay more attention to their value demands for "identity, diversity, personalization, and harmony with nature" in new fabric design, with more colors and patterns for them to choose from. For those born in the 1960s and 1970s who prefer leather, Johnson Controls will also use imitation leather fabrics and some leather substitutes such as PVC belts and yarns to process special mithy fabrics to meet their needs to some extent. Compared to fabric, leather is still relatively single, and the fabric has various arrangements and combinations that can meet the needs of different consumers. The environmental protection coefficient is higher than the PM2.5 haze outside the carpool, and the car is also suffering from the erosion of VOC toxic gases. The term "environmental protection" has gradually shifted from being led by the government to being consciously accepted by people. 47% of Chinese consumers say they will consider whether the car comes with an environmentally friendly "label" and configuration when purchasing. For leather, which has always dominated the market, it may face new challenges. Tracing back the carbon footprint from the initial livestock farming to the production and application of *, the total carbon emissions throughout the entire lifecycle are very high, with a total carbon dioxide emissions of 110 kilograms per square meter, which is more than five times that of ordinary fabrics. Relatively speaking, fabrics have many advantages such as soft touch, noise reduction, low energy consumption (difficult to absorb or release heat), and low carbon emissions. For the new fabric used in chairs, Zou Li stated that in addition to being breathable and scratch resistant, it should also be able to pass Total VOC and odor tests. And through post-processing technology, such as FreshPer4Mance coating technology for automotive fabrics, cleanliness can be achieved, even if a cup of coffee is splashed on the chair, it can be cleaned as new with a gentle wipe of a cloth. In addition, Zou Li told reporters that the fabric is lightweight and can reach different thicknesses for different parts of the fabric. Compared with leather, the weight can be reduced by 60% -90% to meet the lightweight and energy-saving needs of vehicle manufacturers. For host manufacturers, consumer preferences are a key factor in their choice of fabric materials. At this stage, how to first make the host factory accept this concept will be a major challenge for new fabrics. Regarding this, Zou Li stated that in the past, the main reason why main manufacturers did not promote fabric products was due to limited consumer awareness and acceptance, and they believed that fabrics were difficult to handle. Ultimately, the reason was still because there were too few choices in the market for fabric technology.

With Johnson Controls' continuous exploration of fabric composite processing technology and new fabric materials, many possibilities have been identified. If fabric seats are both stain resistant and antibacterial, warm in winter and cool in summer, beautiful in appearance, and can achieve many personalized graphics and designs, I believe consumers will also be willing to choose fabric seats, and the host factory will also respond to this trend. In addition, a significant advantage of fabrics lies in their high flexibility and modularity. The fabric only needs to use a single base fabric (traditional black, gray, and beige three plain colors), and different design elements (patterns, patterns, colors) are added to these base fabrics. Different composite processing techniques (such as laser welding, embroidery, screen printing, inkjet printing, etc.) are used to present a beautiful effect, even achieving the effect of imitation leather. This is something that OEMs are very happy to see, as it can reduce costs and showcase the differentiation and individuality of different models. At the same time, after acquiring Michel Thierry, Johnson Controls achieved vertical integration in the fabric field. Through EPDP (optimized product development process), a deep understanding of OEM customer automotive design themes, and professional insights into future design trends, fabric designers can intervene in the interior concept design stage of OEM customers in advance, communicate with them on fabric design solutions, and address the needs of OEM customers and consumers, Develop various innovative fabric solutions.