RECARO Automotive Celebrates 60 Years of Innovation

January 27, 2023 by RECARO

RECARO Automotive, the premium seat manufacturer, kicks off a year-long celebration of the 60th anniversary of its premium automotive seating division. The automotive seating division was founded on the ideals of innovative design, ergonomics, safety, comfort, quality, robustness, lightweight construction and first-class craftmanship. RECARO Automotive has been the premium seat of champions for 60 years, and this year the company celebrates that storied history of victory.

'RECARO Automotive is excited to share our 60th Anniversary of Automotive Seating under the RECARO brand name with our global family of customers including automotive manufacturers, motorsports teams, aftermarket owners and fans of the brand,' said Emil Kreycik, President and COO. 'RECARO Automotive may be 60 years old but we're still the same – offering innovative products that are highly desired due to their safety, quality and comfort features.'

'As a brand, RECARO Automotive has always pushed boundaries, questioned limits, and strove to adapt to our customer demands,' said Nicole McElroy, Global Vice President of Product Development and Brand 'Whether it's an OEM partnership, or working with drivers and teams trackside, we take pride in being the first to market with world-renowned, innovative seating products. We look forward to carrying on this tradition well into the future.'

RECARO Automotive – History of Firsts

Since 1963, when Reuterr Carosserie became RECARO, the company has introduced some of the most innovative and purposefully engineered automotive seating products ever produced. Today, RECARO Automotive continues advancing, evolving, and striving to push boundaries, empowering its engineers to establish new standards for performance, ergonomics, and safety.

Early Years – An Onslaught of Firsts

•1965: World's first retrofit seat for automobiles, featuring revolutionary foam upholstery and side bolsters

•1967: RECARO 'shell seat' is introduced as first street-legal bucket seat

•1971: First RECARO safety seat concept; First vehicle seat with an integrated seat belt

•1974: First RECARO racing seat with a super-sturdy double shell; First RECARO professional-grade racing seat bridges the gap between a daily-driver seat and a seat for rally competition

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•1977: First electro-pneumatic lumbar support, first adjustable side bolsters

Commercial Seating – The First to Focus on Driver Health, Ergonomics and Safety

•1981: RECARO releases its first seat for commercial vehicles with a shock-cushioning system

•1984: Introduction of the CSE extra comfort seat, which was the first with memory function

•1989: RECARO presents the all-new 'Profi Class'; later renamed Commercial Vehicle line

Track to Street: Technology Enhances Performance

•1989: RECARO A8 is the first performance seat using a glass fiber-reinforced plastic backrest

•1995: RECARO Pro Racer, the first racing shell with head protection

•2002: Introduced first racing shell optimized for the usage of HANS (head and neck support system)

•2005: RECARO's first lightweight composite shell

•2013: RECARO P 1300 GT, the first racing shell with fore-aft adjustment according FIA 8862-2009

•2019: RECARO Podium, the first street-legal and FIA-homologated performance seat

•2021: First seat supplier to have ergonomically engineered AGR certified (healthier-backs) racing shell with the new RECARO Podium seat.

•2021: The RECARO® Pro Racer XL-ORV seat is the first offroad racing seat to successfully gain certification in FIA standard 8855-1999 on January 20th, 2021. (CS.468.21)

•2022: The RECARO Sport C is the first fully powered Aftermarket sports seat

Innovating the Future in Premium Seating

•2022: RECARO Automotive introduces the Profi XL RCF Infusion and Pole Position RCF Infusion, the first sustainability-focused FIA certified racing shells utilizing recycled carbon fiber.

•2023: RECARO is taking a dive into SMART Seating Technologies to give us an app-enabled Bluetooth-connected seat along with a new lightweight composite aftermarket seat.

RECARO Automotive OEM Partnerships

AMG - Mercedes

•Mercedes-Benz AMG GT-R Black Series

Aston Martin

•Aston Martin Valkyrie

Audi

•Audi R8 V10 GT Final Edition

•Audi R8 V10 Plus

•Audi R8 RWD Partner Edition

BMW

•BMW M4 GT4

•BMW M2 CS Racing

Cadillac

•2016 - Cadillac ATS-V

•2015 – Cadillac CTS-V

Chevrolet

•Chevrolet Camaro 1 LE

•2017- Chevrolet Camaro ZL

Ford

•Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

•Ford Mustang Shelby GT 350

•Ford F-150 Raptor

•2019 – Ford Mustang Bullitt

INEOS

•INEOS Grenadier

KTM

•KTM X-Bow GT2

•KTM X-Bow GTX

MITSUBISHI

•Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X

MTM

•MTM RS6

•MTM R8

•MTM RS3

Nissan

•Nissan Aura Nismo

•Nissan GT-R Nismo

•Nissan Juke-R 2.0

Porsche

•Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport

•Porsche 935

•Porsche 911 GT2 RS Clubsport

•Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport

•2017 – Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Type 991

Renault

•Renault Mégane R.S.

RUF

•RUF CTR

SONY

•Sony Vision S (Concept Car)

Subaru

•2019 – Subaru WRX S209 US

•2020 Subaru WRX STI Sport

RECARO Automotive credits much of its strength to its long history of OEM partnerships. As an original equipment manufacturing partner with brands like Volkswagen, Porsche, General Motors, and Ford, RECARO Automotive has continuously diversified its offerings and made key sustainability advances around its materials and manufacturing processes.

RECARO's deep understanding of customer needs is evident in every seat it produces, be it for the aftermarket or an OEM fitment. As a result, RECARO is the most recognizable automotive seating brand in the marketplace. RECARO Automotive takes pride in being receptive to feedback that leads to new innovations that contribute to overall growth. This is how RECARO stays in the winners' circle, both on the racetrack and in customers' driveways.

Motorsports: A Proving Ground and Point of Pride

Just as auto manufacturers go racing to put their technology to the ultimate test before it trickles down to their passenger vehicles, RECARO Automotive uses the hard lessons learned on the racing circuit and rally terrain to develop better seats for both road and track.

With seats in race cars competing in every imaginable environment the world over, RECARO Automotive is always accumulating data and feedback that results in ever-improving levels of safety, innovation, and comfort for all its customers.

IMSA Partnership 2023

RECARO Automotive proudly continues its partnership with IMSA, maintaining its strategic trackside position to gain real-time feedback through its collaborations with manufacturers, teams, drivers, and fans.

The Official Partnership with IMSA helps RECARO expand awareness of the distinct advantages of its seating technology to a wide audience of fans inside the paddock on every race weekend, as well as motorsports enthusiasts around the world.

Ultra4 King of Hammers Sponsor Continues in 2023

RECARO Automotive continues its multi-year sponsorship of the ULTRA4 Racing Series and is proud to once again be the official race seat of King of the Hammers, known as the world's toughest one-day off-road event.

RECARO Automotive has continuously supported its partners' ambitions in this unique and punishing offroad racing series. ULTRA4 was developed to showcase its teams' elite off-road driving skills, wringing the most out of their purpose-built vehicles' extreme capabilities as they traverse the roughest terrain and most technically challenging rock crawls in organized motorsport.

In 2019, RECARO The Pro Racer XL ORV was launched to support better feedback for the off-road driver, while high-wear weather resistant Rhino Vinyl and RECARO ENRg+® foam maximize durability, safety, and comfort. RECARO ENRg+® foam ensures energy from high vertical impacts dissipates horizontally through the seat, preventing the impact forces from traveling through the occupant's body.

Sustainability Focused with RECARO Recycled Carbon Fiber

RECARO Automotive has taken a pioneering step toward carbon neutrality with the introduction of its RECARO Profi XL RCF Infusion and the RECARO Pole Position RCF Infusion FIA certified racing shells. These track motorsport seats introduce RCF (recycled carbon fiber) Infusion technology paired with production localization, Made in the USA.

RECARO Automotive – Lifestyle Merchandise Line

In 2021 RECARO Automotive expanded beyond its lineup of premium seating products and released merchandise to fit any driving enthusiast's lifestyle. These new products are designed to exhibit the unique driving experiences of the RECARO Classic, Race and Dynamic lines.

The Classic line targets fans of RECARO's iconic seat patterns, highlighting their priceless originality. The Classic blouson jacket, leather gloves and polo shirt acknowledge the designs of the RECARO Classic Pole Position (ABE), Classic LX, and LS seats. With a fun variety of products that pay tribute to famous patterns like the RECARO checkered and pepita prints, there is something for every RECARO fan.

The Dynamic collection was designed with high-energy performance and form-fitting comfort in mind. Eye-catching colors like lime green and electric blue adorn collection items like the softshell jacket and tailored hoodies that represent a fast-paced lifestyle, much like the RECARO Sportster CS or Podium seats.

The Race line's sharp red-and-black color scheme is designed to inspire drivers on and off the track, in rain or shine. The Race line offers sporty, sophisticated outerwear for motorsports fans who demand adaptability in everyday life. The hybrid all-weather jacket and lightweight sport jacket are ideally suited to those needs, and can be further accessorized with an umbrella, trolly backpack, and a water bottle to help handle unexpected circumstances. The safety-focused RECARO P1300 GT and RECARO Pro Racer (FIA) seats are two examples of the safety centric seats built to later inspire the Race lifestyle collection.

RECARO Lifestyle Swivel Chairs

From the road to the workplace, RECARO Automotive offers a seamless and comfortable transition. Manufactured utilizing original RECARO Automotive seats, RECARO lifestyle swivel chairs are designed with the same expert craftsmanship as their street and track products. By integrating these technologies for home use, the RECARO swivel chair guarantees the same sitting experience one expects from a RECARO car seat and provides occupants long hours of maximum support and focus.

Come take a seat in the RECARO lifestyle swivel chair, in fan-favorite classic design patterns checkered and pepita.

RECARO SIM Racing – Pro Sim Star

RECARO Automotive's Pro SIM Star seat represents an expansion into a different lifestyle space, but the parallels with the core vehicle product lines are evident. Whether they're casual or professional, gamers elevate their play and maintain maximum focus thanks to the Pro SIM Star's carefully designed ergonomics informed by decades of automotive seating innovation. Just as RECARO car seats make long road trips or hot-lap sessions effortlessly comfortable, the Pro SIM Star delivers the same experience for SIM drivers, even during hours-long gaming sessions.

About RECARO Automotive:

The world's leading automotive seating brand, RECARO Automotive, specializes in creating innovation, safety, comfort, and quality in automotive seating. We have 500 employees operating in 3 assembly plants in 3 countries worldwide producing and delivering premium quality automotive products by using the brand RECARO under a license of the RECARO Holding for dynamic, racing, comfort, commercial, and major OEMs. From complete seating systems to individual components, our expertise spans every step of the automotive seat-making process. Our globalized integrated, in-house skills allow us to support our product creation from research and design all the way to engineering and manufacturing while maintaining a global premium brand presence. To learn more, please visit www.RECARO-automotive.com.