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Magna International Inc
Symbol MG
Shares Issued 384,498,983
Close 2016-10-21 C$ 53.68
Market Cap C$ 20,639,905,407
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Magna Int'l conducts survey re vehicle seating options

2016-10-24 15:13 ET - News Release

Mr. Dino Nardicchio reports

MAGNA DRAWS FROM VOICE OF THE CONSUMER; CONDUCTS STUDY TO BETTER ASSESS, MEET VEHICLE SEATING NEEDS OF THE FUTURE

As part of its commitment to innovation and value in automotive seating, Magna International Inc. commissioned an ethnography study of vehicle owners in various markets around the world to better understand consumer insights into and issues with the seats in today's automobiles. Insights gained from the study will inform seating innovations from Magna.

Magna experts worked closely with consumers in the United States, China, Germany and England to gain their perspectives through electronic surveys, collaborative workshops and in-vehicle interviews. The Magna experts also met with vehicle owners at their homes to learn personal insights about the way they use their vehicles, and the needs and wants of drivers and passengers.

Within the study, Magna looked at a number of factors which are impacting vehicle seating choices. These include purchase decisions, pain points, different modes of vehicle use and passenger versus driver needs, automotive industry forces such as disruptive technology and demand for larger vehicles, market distinctions between the U.S., Europe and China, including how the change in the one-child-per-family law has increased demand for sport utility vehicles in China, and other forces of change such as the impacts of productivity, interpassenger connectivity, today's on-demand lifestyle and ergonomics.

"Seating is an increasingly important and personal factor when purchasing a vehicle, and today's drivers and passengers see their vehicles as an extension of their homes," said Dino Nardicchio, global vice-president of research and development at Magna Seating. "Key to Magna's innovation is our ability to incorporate global trends, the needs of the auto industry and the requirements of our customers into solutions that fit the needs of today's vehicle owners. With this ethnography study, we were able to hear directly from global consumers so that we can incorporate their wants and needs into future seating options."

As part of the study, consumers in the target regions were asked what problems they wanted solved in their vehicle. Their feedback included the following insights:

  • Seats need to be more versatile and flexible to meet the needs of each passenger, business use or family function. An example of how Magna does this today is the partnership with FCA U.S. LLC to develop a new Stow 'n Go seating and storage system in the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica (Stow 'n Go is a registered trademark of FCA).
  • U.S. and Chinese consumers spend a large amount of non-driving time in their vehicles and want seats to support mobile office usage with enough comfort to allow restful breaks in their routine.
  • People want their vehicles to be more flexible, have easier access to the third row and make power sources available to all passengers. Magna is addressing this need with the recent launch of its new Pitch Slide seat, which maximizes the opening for passengers to enter and exit a vehicle's third row without having to move an installed child or infant seat.
  • Globally, customers want vehicles that have easy passenger access and can readily adapt to a wide range of cargo.

"One of the benefits of the study is that it confirmed many of our current seating solutions have been successfully developed to meet or exceed consumer expectations," added Mr. Nardicchio. "At the same time, and even more important, the study results will help drive our innovation process, and will be used to develop seating solutions and new products which are not yet available on the market."

About Magna

Magna is a leading global automotive supplier with 309 manufacturing operations, and 99 product development, engineering and sales centres in 29 countries. The company has over 152,000 employees.

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