Alcantara Part Of Vehicle Debuts At L.A. And Tokyo Shows

MILAN--Dec. 5, 2013: Alcantara was on center stage for vehicle debuts at 2013's final two major international auto shows -- Los Angeles and Tokyo.

A unique Italian-made material used by automotive interior designers from the world's leading brands, Alcantara was chosen for the interior of the all-new Porsche Macan Turbo which made its debut at both the L.A. and Tokyo auto shows along with other Macan models. The first of its kind from Porsche, the new compact sport SUV features light-weight Alcantara on its roof panel and pillars.

The Porsche Panamera Turbo S and Porsche Cayenne GTS also premiered at the Tokyo show, both with Alcantara-finished interiors.

Other German auto makers at the Tokyo Auto Show also dressed their vehicle interiors with Alcantara. The material was featured on the Audi R8, R7, R6, A8 LTDI, A5 2.0 T; Volkswagen Golf, and BMW 135i, Z4 and M6. The BMW M6 has a carbon-fiber roof lined with Alcantara, reducing the roof's overall weight by 58 percent as well as helping to lower the car's center of gravity.

In addition, Alcantara was chosen to line the roof of Ford's new Edge Concept vehicle which made its world premiere at the Los Angeles show. Tesla vehicles also featured Alcantara because of the carbon-neutral material's light weight and sporty appeal. Maserati used the Italian-made material on the GranTurismo MC and the Ghibli. Chrysler made use of perforated Alcantara for the panels, doors and seats of its 200S at the L.A. Show.

In Tokyo, Nissan chose Alcantara for the steering wheels on its entire range of Nismo vehicles -- from the Juke to the sporty GT–R, which made its world premiere at the show. Inspired by legendary sports cars of the past, the GT-R has the characteristics of race-track supercars optimized by Nismo – Nissan's performance division.

With red topstitching on a dark grey background, the GT-R's Alcantara-clad steering wheel ensures a good grip even in extreme driving conditions, while the red "12 o'clock" notch, a typical sports car feature, gives it a race-track feel.

French auto maker Peugeot accentuated its RCZ and 2008, which made its Japanese market debut at the show, with Alcantara styling on seats and elsewhere in both cars' interiors.