On August 21, the main body of GAC Group, Huaren Yuntong, announced in collaboration with leading material science company Dow that the world’s first high-end LUXSENSE ™ organic silicone leather approved for use in car interiors has been put into mass production.
This fabric will be first used on HiPhi X to set a new benchmark for health, luxury, and sustainability. Ding Lei, founder of GAC Group Huahang Automobile, Dr. Yao Weiguang, CTO of Dow in the Asia-Pacific region, and others attended the joint press conference.
The globally launched organic silicone leather material is an innovative material created by Huaren Yuntong and Dow by pooling global resources and dedicating three years to human health and luxury touch. It has significant advantages in the following aspects through continuous innovation and breakthroughs in technology and research and development:
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Unique skin-friendly and delicate touch;
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Superior wear resistance, aging resistance, dirt resistance, and flame retardancy compared to traditional materials;
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Wrinkle resistance, easy to clean, and superior performance durability;
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It does not contain harmful solvents and plasticizers, has no odor, and no volatile components;
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It is environmentally friendly, low-carbon, and non-violent.
The actual touch felt on site makes it hard to imagine that this material is actually not much different from the silicone spatulas used in the kitchen. Its softness far exceeds that of ordinary PU synthetic leather, and it feels like a lamb skin.
This time, I asked three questions on behalf of Garage 42 about the product:
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Can the new material bring more colors or even customization?
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How does the air permeability compared to genuine leather?
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Will white seats be stained with the color of jeans?
Regarding these three questions, the official response from GAC Group was:
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As a luxury brand, we currently produce to order, based on the configuration set by each user, such as body color or interior. For the LUXSENSE ™ organic silicone leather, such a new material, we currently offer white;
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The air permeability of genuine leather that is widely used now mainly depends on perforation. The non-air permeability problem brings about a sticky feeling, while organic silicone leather has a better high permeability and feels refreshing and non-sticky.
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Regarding this issue, we have conducted more than 50,000 import and export endurance tests on LUXSENSE ™ organic silicone leather with blue denim, and there is no visible difference.Actually, Huaren Technology and Dow are collaborating on a total of 12 innovative material developments, eight of which have already been implemented, including acoustic foam, new TC Series battery thermal conductive materials, and other innovative achievements in addition to organic silicone leather.
Among them, the density of the TC Series battery thermal conductive material is reduced by about 20% compared with conventional thermal pads, while meeting the requirements of high thermal conductivity and lightweight, and complying with the stringent requirements of complex environments in high-end new energy intelligent automotive applications, ensuring good battery performance while improving the fire resistance and flame retardancy of the battery pack.
GAC Motor will officially launch the option of LUXSENSE™ organic silicone leather light-colored interior fabrics in September.
Source: GAC
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.