Mazda’s future seat covers

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One day, drivers might be sitting on polylactic acid. Notice that said sitting on, not sitting in. Polylactic acid is the sole ingredient in a biofiber developed by Mazda for use as an in-car fabric. It’s made from fermented carbohydrates such as plant sugars. What Mazda has done is to make it hard-wearing, flame-retardant and resistant to damage from light.

Good for seat covers and door trims, this biofiber contains no oil-based materials (unlike vinyl, for example) and is being seen as another step toward an eco-friendly car society. It’s still going to take some time for such new (and novel) technology to become commonplace in the showrooms, but it’s nice to know there’s a whole section of the automotive industry working on ideas like this.

Surely, crochet-your-own tires are just around the corner.

-- Colin Ryan