Lightweighting moves to passive safety

As active safety systems such as advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) become an increasingly common feature on new cars, have traditional passive safety features such as seat belts seen less innovation? Not at TRW.

The trend of lightweighting a vehicle stems from increasingly stringent global regulations for efficiency and emissions, which are putting pressure on OEMs, and in turn, their suppliers. This trend has extended to passive safety systems, and TRW has developed a new seat belt buckle that is both lighter and smaller than its predecessor. Automotive World spoke with TRW's Aziz Canatar, Global Engineering Director, Seat Belt Systems, about the new buckle.