Here's a rare look at a design research project by BMW. Called the M Visionary Materials Seat, the aim was to design a lightweight and attractive car seat designed for sustainability and circularity. To that end they've incorporated natural materials like "natural fibers, fiber composites, leather alternatives and algae-based polymers," BMW says.

The seat's incredibly minimalist support structures are made from a fiber composite that is robotically wound (see the cage-like structure in the photo below). A bit of secret sauce was involved as well: The company used an unspecified "groundbreaking" additive manufacturing method, and will only describe it as "a new technology [that] made it possible to completely eliminate support structures, chemical post-treatment and finishing."

"The BMW M Visionary Materials Seat focuses on circular design principles and sustainable materials. The seat features a monomaterial lightweight design that emphasizes using sustainable, renewable materials such as recycled polyester textile, flaxfiber BioComposite, and biogene leather alternatives. Where possible, petrol-based raw materials through bio-based materials were made from algaes and plant-based fillers – such as chalk and cork. The composite can be made from carbon, basalt, glass fiber, or natural fibers as needed."

The company says that the resultant design reduces CO2 emissions by 90% when compared to their existing BMW M carbon bucket seat. Additionally, the seat design's "lower module complexity and the use of materials grouped by type make it easier to recycle the seat at the end of its lifecycle."

"We are showing today what will be possible tomorrow with existing technologies and materials in order to take our efforts to reduce emissions and conserve resources to the next level," says Falco Hollmann, BMW's Innovation Manager of Lightweight Design & Sustainability. "This is about more than just substituting materials; it is above all about designing for circularity."

The project won BMW a 2024 Altair Enlighten Award, an auto industry award dedicated to lightweighting and sustainability.