Car vinyl makes a comeback with eco-twist

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Associated Press

BINGHAM FARMS, Mich. - Lilana Nicoghosian has traveled the world seeking the next hot look - in vinyl.

Nicoghosian takes what she sees at fashion shows from France to Italy and beyond and creates hot looks for car interiors.

Vinyl - that sweat-inducing reminder of car seats of the 70s - is making a comeback in an industry swathed in leather as designers come up with fashionable, breathable and eco-friendly twists.

Think of it as the runway hitting the highway.

In Nicoghosian's hands, a lime green, Christian Dior high heel with woven fabric becomes a patch of toned-down, textured, black vinyl. Her designs for Canadian General Tower's Innovation Studio in suburban Detroit are destined for seat covers, instrumentation panels and other parts of the car interior.

"We always take the feel, the inspiration, and then we translate it into a much more subtle pattern," Nicoghosian said.

Her 2008 line was inspired by a September fashion show in Paris, and she'll put on her own vinyl fashion show for automakers later this year.

Vinyl typically is used in vehicles as seat backs or for second- and third-row seating, mainly in "areas that you didn't pay that much attention to," Nicoghosian said.

But with the new patterns and textures, vinyl is stepping out of the realm of sweaty backs and into the spotlight.

"It's definitely not like your grandfather's vinyl," Nicoghosian said. "We've really come a long way."

It will be a while until the catwalk-worthy vinyl is available, however. The earliest the new designs will appear in vehicles is 2012.

Nicoghosian said she's working with car companies to get her fashion-inspired seat covers into cars, but she won't say which ones. CGT vinyl is in 80 percent of vehicles, she said, but it typically takes about five years for a design to hit the car market.

Ford Motor Co. sees the vinyl designs once a year, said Jack LeBlanc, a designer for the automaker. LeBlanc said Ford typically uses vinyl along with leather, but it could move to more of a primary product.

"Designer vinyls lend that more of a possibility," LeBlanc said. "It makes it more interesting to the customer and more acceptable if you were to present it as a trim package."

Canadian General Tower also is at work to produce "greener" vinyls - incorporating soybean oil and recycled materials into production.

Those vinyls could find a home in an environmentally friendly vehicle, such as General Motors Corp.'s proposed electric car, the Volt, said Patrick Diebel, CGT's vice president of advanced technology.

Not only are advances in auto vinyl having a potentially positive effect on the environment, other improvements using micropores are being counted on to put an end to an uncomfortable summer reality.

"The whole concept of having a sweaty back from sitting on vinyl - that will help solve that," Diebel said. "It actually breathes the same as leather."

The sweat-free and green existence will be costly, at least at first, Diebel said.

"It gets adopted in the high end to begin with," Diebel said. "Like GPS, it's available now, but five years ago, you could only get it in the top end."

http://www.azcentral.com/business/consumer...erVinyl-20.html

[mawilson 2,133]

What's wrong with leather?

[Scott & Lai 12]

What's wrong with leather?

PETA won't be happy with you

[Nagishkaw 510]

Vinyl in classic cars, yes. Vinyl in new cars, nah.

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

What's wrong with leather?

PETA won't be happy with you

then they can order vinyl.