Italian-Made Alcantara Takes Center Stage At L.A. Auto Show

Carbon-Neutral Material Continues to Attract Attention at Major Auto Shows

News provided by

Dec 01, 2014, 09:18 ET

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcantara, the Italian-made luxury material used to outfit the interiors of the world's most prestigious cars, was featured on a wide variety of new vehicles at this year's Los Angeles Auto Show.

Lamborghini, Porsche and Audi were among the many import car makers who dressed their new-car interiors with Alcantara, while Dodge and Lincoln were among the domestic brands that showcased the carbon-neutral Italian material.

Porsche 911 Carrera GTS convertible featuring Alcantara.

Cream-colored Alcantara on the headliner and pillars of the Lincoln MKZ.

Lamborghini, the luxury super sports car manufacturer located in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy, chose Alcantara for the interiors of its Bianco Icarus Huracan LP 610-4 and Arancio Argos Aventador LP 700-4.

The Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS coupe and 911 Carrera GTS convertible made their global debuts in Los Angeles, each dressed in Alcantara. For its 911 Carrera 4 GTS and GTS, Porsche chose grey Alcantara with red contrast stitching for the steering wheel, central tunnel, dashboard, seating and door panels.

Alcantara also was featured on the steering wheel of the Porsche 918 Spyder e-hybrid and on the headliner and pillars of the Macan Turbo S, Macan Turbo and Panamera Exclusive. In addition, dark grey Alcantara was used on Porsche's Cayman GTS, the Boxster GTS and Panamera GTS on seats, headliners, pillars and door panels.

Audi had a number of vehicles on display with Alcantara interiors as well. Audi's Prologue concept car had pearl grey Alcantara on its headliner, door panels and rear back panel, while dark grey Alcantara could be found on the headliner, pillars and rear deck of the Audi A6.

Other auto makers who dressed their cars in Alcantara at the L.A. show included:

Lincoln – Lincoln Black Label collection vehicles, including the MKZ and MKC featured Alcantara. The MKZ was equipped with cream-colored Alcantara on its headliner and pillars and black Alcantara on its rear deck.

For its Black Label MKC, Lincoln selected black perforated Alcantara with red backing on seats and door panels and dark grey Alcantara for the headliner and pillars.

Dodge - The seats of the Dodge Charger SRT were furnished in Alcantara, while the Dodge Viper GT was shown with sepia-colored perforated Alcantara on the center sections of its seats.

BMW - The 2015 Alpina B6 xDrive Gran Coupe had dark grey Alcantara on its headliner, pillars and rear deck. Black Alcantara also could be found on the headliners and pillars of the X5M and the X6M.

Maserati - Maserati used dark-grey, carbon-neutral Alcantara on the headliner and pillars of its Quattroporte GTS and Ghibli models. The Italian material also could be found on the headliner and pillars of the Granturismo MC Centennial edition.

Volkswagen – The German car maker accentuated the interior of its GTI concept car in grey Alcantara with red contrast stitching.

Ford, Jaguar and Bentley were among a list of other auto makers who featured vehicles equipped with Alcantara at the L.A. show as well.

During press days at the show, Alcantara also hosted a VIP fashion show at Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles' historic fashion district that was attended by fashion designers, opinion leaders and auto industry executives. The event featured fashions from the collection of award-winning designer Yohji Yamamoto, as well as vehicles from Lamborghini, furniture from Ligne Roset and camera products from Leica Cameras AG.

"The many uses of Alcantara material were once again on display in Los Angeles," said Andrea Boragno, chairman and CEO of Alcantara S.p.A. "Our brand partners are tangible proof of Alcantara's versatility and uniqueness. No other material today is able to preserve its intrinsic qualities of beauty, softness and resistance and, at the same time, take on the characteristics required by each single customer's customization preferences and needs."

Boragno added that Alcantara decided several years ago to focus more attention on the U.S. market. As a result, sales of the Italian-made material in North America jumped 46 percent last year and are expected to increase by 25 percent or more in 2014.

Based on unique, patented technology, Alcantara also is the choice of leading companies in the marine, fashion, home interior and consumer electronics industries. A registered trademark of Alcantara S.p.A., it has been certified as "Carbon Neutral," adding to its appeal for companies and consumers with a strong interest in the environment.

Alcantara is headquartered in Milan with research and production facilities in Nera Montoro, Umbria. More information is available on the Internet at www.alcantara.com.

About Alcantara – www.alcantara.com
Founded in 1972, Alcantara represents a prime example of Italian-produced quality. As registered trademark of Alcantara S.p.A. and result of a unique and proprietary technology, Alcantara^® is a highly innovative material, offering an unrivalled combination of sensory, aesthetic and functional qualities. Thanks to its extraordinary versatility, Alcantara is the choice of leading brands in a number of application fields: fashion and accessories, automotive, interior design and home decor, consumer-electronics. These features, together with a serious and certified commitment in terms of sustainability, make Alcantara a true icon of contemporary lifestyle: the lifestyle of those who want to fully enjoy their everyday life, respecting the environment.

Since 2009 Alcantara is certified "Carbon Neutral", having defined, reduced and offset all the CO₂ emissions derived from its activity. In 2011 the analysis was extended to the whole product lifecycle, including also use and disposal phases ("from cradle to grave"). To mark out the path of the company in such a field, every year Alcantara draws up and publishes its own Sustainability Report, certified by TUV SUD international authority and available also on the corporate website.

Headquartered in Milan, Alcantara production site and R&D department are located in Nera Montoro, in the heart of Umbria Region (Terni).

You can follow Alcantara at:

http://www.facebook.com/Alcantara.Company
http://www.twitter.com/alcantaraspa
http://youtube.com/user/AlcantaraCompany

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141201/161498

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141201/161492

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/italian-made-alcantara-takes-center-stage-at-la-auto-show-300002464.html

SOURCE Alcantara S.p.A.