Toyota Tacoma’s Resin Seat Named SPE’s 2024 Best Automotive Plastic Innovation

November 25, 2024

Sebastian Blanco

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) announced the winners of the 53rd annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala (IAG) in mid-November, naming Toyota’s front seat back and cushion frames from the 2024 Toyota Tacoma as the Grand Award winner and the category winner in Process/Assembly/Enabling Technologies.

SPE’s annual competition highlights innovations from developers of polymer and composites-intensive components, systems and vehicles. For 2024, SPE awarded winners in 10 categories and named plastic encapsulated windows, first found on GM A-Body wagons in 1987, to its Hall of Fame. Tom Russell, a founder and retired partner at Allied Composites Technology LLC and former vice president of Product & Advanced Engineering at Lear Corporation, was given a Lifetime Achievement award.

Toyota’s Tacoma seats were selected for their resin shock mounts inside the seat, which allows for lateral, vertical, and horizontal movement that keeps occupants more stable during off-road driving. The resin frame is also made of fewer parts (between 10 and 20) than the seat it replaces and has less mass. Toyota North America executive engineer Todd Muck accepted the award with his team and said the project started in his garage during COVID lockdowns.

“I called one of my friends and said, I'm going to put a seat within a seat, and I'm going to attach it with shocks. And he said, ‘You're going to do what,’” he said. The team then had to MacGyver solutions, but that’s what this project took, Muck said. “Everybody up here talked tonight about the collaboration and the effort. This project took more. We were doing something that we're not supposed to do. Seats aren't supposed to move. We're supposed to lock you down, and we're supposed to keep you there. The only way to make this seat work – a seat within a seat, to keep the mass right, to keep the packaging right – was to do a fully resin seat.”

Toyota also won an award for the rear storage panels in the Tacoma in part for its sub-zero (-30 C or -22 F) impact resistance. Ford engineers won three awards and GM won two. Here are the details of each of the SPE 2024 automotive IAG winners by category:

Grand Award (and Process/Assembly/Enabling Technologies category winner)

Front Seat Back and Cushion Frames

Toyota Motor Company - 2024MY Toyota Tacoma

Supplier/Processor: BASF/US Farathane

Material Supplier/Toolmaker: Material /Process: Delta Technologies Inc./Injection Molding

This first known adoption of resin shock mounts in vehicle seats allows for dynamic lateral, vertical, and horizontal movement to isolate occupants during off-roading. Molded from PA6 grades formulated for the application, the airbag-compatible front seat resin frame – a Toyota first – integrates ten components, including insert-molded side airbag attachments, ball joint mounts, and lumbar mat connections, to reduce complexity and eliminate the need for 10-20 additional parts. Insert-molded nuts and wire harness attachments in the seat cushion frame streamline production. The design improves ride comfort, cuts mass and cost, and supports future adaptability, all while meeting safety and performance standards.

Aftermarket and Limited Edition/Specialty Vehicles

E-bus Battery Pack Housing

2024MY Bluebus - 12m e-bus

Tier Supplier/Processor: Simona AG

Material Supplier/Toolmaker: SABIC

Material /Process: Sheet Extrusion

This thermoplastic-intensive battery pack with 240 kg of plastic per vehicle is the first known globally to provide enhanced fire resistance in electric bus applications. It offers 30% weight savings compared to metal solutions. An intumescent flame-retardant PP prevents thermal runaway by forming a protective char, giving occupants more time to evacuate in the event of a fire. The pack maintains cold side temperatures below 250°C to prevent carpet ignition, while providing structural integrity through its integration with wood and metal components. This solution improves safety and reduces heat transfer, outperforming aluminum enclosures in which flames break through almost instantly.

Body Exterior

Self-Adjusting Fastener Sleeve

General Motors Co. - 2024MY Chevrolet Equinox EV

Tier Supplier/Processor: Vuteq Corporation

Material Supplier/Toolmaker: BASF

Material /Process: Injection Molding

Sleeve for flush exterior door handles eliminates manual adjustments and specialized tools, enabling dimensional fit-up to class A surface in all directions while using standard hex-head fasteners, an industry first. The innovative design integrates a metallic sleeve inside a snap-fit clamshell PA6 housing, allowing for real-time adjustments during assembly. The solution reduces labor time by 2-3 minutes per handle, saving up to 12 minutes per vehicle. The metallic sleeve provides load-bearing stability, and the design fits seamlessly with existing GM fasteners, avoiding costly rework or changes to fastener types. This approach improves efficiency while reducing metal parts and plastic straps.

Body Interior

Rear Storage Panels

Toyota Motor Company - 2024MY Toyota Tacoma

Tier Supplier/Processor: Vuteq Corporation

Material Supplier/Toolmaker: BASF

Material /Process: Injection MoldingThis world-first design for the Toyota Tacoma’s 1350 x 465 mm rear storage panel meets challenging performance requirements, including sub-zero impact resistance (-30°C), 12,000 fatigue cycles, and thermo-cycle performance without permanent deformation. With four grain patterns, it includes a single painted handle for ease of use, and the inner and outer shells are mechanically fastened at 34 locations. Utilizing a 20% mineral and 10% glass-filled polyamide improved flow by 23%, reducing clamp tonnage and expanding the processing window. This innovative solution achieves a 0.5 mm dimensional tolerance, ensures durability, and eliminates concerns of cracking or deformation under load.

Chassis/Hardware

Half Shaft Rear Axle Diaphragm Boots

Ford Motor Co. - 2024MY Ford E-Transit

Tier Supplier/Processor: Neapco/INSIT Group

Material Supplier/Toolmaker: Celanese

Material /Process: Injection Molding

Injection-molded diaphragm boots for the Ford E-Transit replace press blow-molded designs, delivering a 15% weight reduction and 17% material savings. Their design also enables higher angulation and longer plunge than other products in the market. The innovative use of high MFR and low viscosity resin ensures high flex fatigue resistance, essential for half shaft systems where each turn adds stress. The design allows for a 50% reduction in grease usage, improved joint lubrication, and lower operating temperatures. Mold filling simulation eliminated defects such as air traps and weld lines, producing injection molded parts with superior durability and productivity.

Electric and Autonomous Vehicle Systems

High Voltage Battery Module Busbar

Ford Motor Co. - 2025MY Ford E-Transit

Tier Supplier/Processor: Kyungshin Corporation

Material Supplier/Toolmaker: SABIC

Material /Process: Injection MoldiLeveraging intumescent flame-retardant PP, this high-voltage busbar protection provides 15% weight savings, and 35% cost reduction compared to traditional solutions. The material’s unique properties allow it to expand from 2.8 mm to 5 mm when exposed to temperatures up to 200°C, boosting thermal resistance and preventing arcing in high-nickel battery chemistries. This enhanced protection ensures the dielectric strength remains intact, even in extreme conditions. Injection molded for precision, the design also improves manufacturability and reduces tooling costs. With a maximum operating temperature of 75°C, it delivers superior safety for EV battery packs and supports long-term reliability.

Materials

EGR Cold Tube / Diffuser

Ford Motor Co. - 2023MY Mustang, Explorer, Escape, Ranger, Bronco, & Maverick

Tier Supplier/Processor: Sogefi Group/Viking Plastics

Material Supplier/Toolmaker: Envalior/Viking Plastics

Material /Process: Extrusion

Replacing stainless steel with thermoplastic, this EGR cold tube diffuser achieves a 15% weight savings and integrates directly into the air intake assembly, eliminating three fasteners and multiple brazing operations. Designed to withstand a severe acid environment with pH levels of 2.2 and temperatures up to 200°C, the thermoplastic material offers superior chemical resistance compared to stainless steel. The diffuser handles NVH requirements, enduring 8G acceleration, while maintaining structural integrity. This design simplifies assembly, reduces part complexity, and significantly cuts costs. Its durability and chemical resistance in extreme environments ensure long-lasting performance, setting a new standard for EGR system efficiency.

Powertrain

Plastic Coolant Hub

Ford Motor Co. - 2025MY Ford Mustang Mach E

Tier Supplier/Processor: Cooper Standard Automotive/Viking Plastics

Material Supplier/Toolmaker: Celanese/MPP Corporation

Material /Process: Insert Injection Molding

Integrating multiple tubes, fittings, and connectors into a single, compact manifold, this hub improves EV coolant system efficiency, reducing tubing length by 1.23 meters and eliminating eight quick connects, six tee/wye adaptors, and three additional adaptors. System weight is reduced by up to 5% and coolant pressure drop is decreased, improving overall system performance. The laser-welded hub includes three injection-molded components that form a leak-tight structure and incorporates a pressure-balancing orifice. With 30% fewer connections, the design achieved a 50% reduction in packaging space while removing 29 tube insertions and six tube forming processes for assembly savings.

Safety

Busbar Cable Support Bracket

General Motors Co. - 2025MY Cadillac CELESTIQ

Tier Supplier/Processor: Grand Traverse Plastics

Material Supplier/Toolmaker: Celanese/Quest Industries

Material /Process: Injection Molding

Designed to prevent thermal runaway and high-voltage arcing by minimizing cable motion, the bracket uses high-performance V0-rated PPS and PBT materials to eliminate a metallic retention feature and provide reliable support. Isolating the 15 kg busbars enhances safety and durability. The snap-fit design provides over 240N of axial retention force with a single fastener per location, reducing the need for more than 10 fasteners per RESS. The ergonomic installation, requiring only 45N of insertion force, reduces assembly time and scrap costs by up to 99%, improving overall production efficiency while maintaining high-voltage safety standards.

Sustainability

Exterior Cladding with Living Hinge

Rivian Automotive, LLC - 2024MY Rivian R1T & R1S

Tier Supplier/Processor: KB Components

Material Supplier/Toolmaker: Advanced Composites/Aalbers Tool & Mold

---