Plymouth, Michigan - Consumers are more interested in the number of seats in the vehicle and how comfortable those seats are rather than how they are configured, according to the findings of an automotive seating study from Johnson Controls.
The automotive seating specialist, which often uses polyurethane in its designs, said it conducted the study to gain a better understanding of current and evolving seating trends.
To gather the information, Johnson Controls conducted surveys of more than 1100 US consumers who are "vehicle purchase decision makers", driving 2010-2013 model-year vehicles.
The company found that comfort remains an important interior factor. A majority of consumers choosing from a list of vehicle interior attributes said comfort of the driver had the most impact on the purchase of their most recent vehicle, Johnson Controls said in a 27 June news release.
The company also said the number of seats is still important, even if some of the seats are used infrequently.
"Comparative studies allow us to better support automakers in the seat design and development process," said Tom Gould, director of industrial design for Johnson Controls Automotive Seating. "Insights from consumer research drive innovative and competitive products that help us meet consumer needs."
Together with previous studies carried out in 2007 and 2001, the study represents the views of some 4000 US consumers, Johnson Controls said.
