A real feast for Fiesta ST owners: Optimum driving fun with standard- equipped Recaro sport seats

Kirchheim/Teck, Germany (ots) - Press Release

Recaro Automotive Seating is worldwide seating supplier for the
new sporty subcompact from Ford

The numbers speak for themselves: With its 180-horsepower engine
and its ability to accelerate to 100 km per hour in a mere 6.9
seconds, the new Ford Fiesta ST leads its competitors in the sporty
subcompact class. To ensure dynamic performance and maximum driving
enjoyment, Ford has complemented the highly sophisticated design of
the Fiesta ST's chassis with the famed expertise of Recaro Automotive
Seating. As a result, the new Fiesta ST models sold around the world
will be standard-equipped with Recaro seats, which will be specially
designed and manufactured for these models at the main site of Recaro
Automotive Seating in Kirchheim/Teck, Germany, as well as at the
company's plant in Lerma, Mexico.

At Ford, the ST designation is worn by the indisputable sport
stars in its lineup, namely the particularly performance-oriented
versions of its Focus and Fiesta models. Similarly, it also serves as
an indicator of on-board Recaro technology. After all, as with its
big brother, the Ford Focus ST, the brand-new Fiesta ST will come
standard-equipped with seats that have been specifically designed by
the engineers of the renowned automotive seating brand. These
dynamically styled ST seats with befittingly excellent lateral
support demonstrate how committed Ford is to delivering an optimally
sporty driving experience.

Yet, in order to preclude any compromise to occupant comfort, the
seating specialists at Recaro Automotive Seating have also invested
all of their ergonomics know-how into developing these new seats for
Ford. The seats' sophisticated contouring replete with highly
effective lumbar support will make this immediately evident to ST
drivers. Additionally, the seats of the new Fiesta ST feature the
same first-class finish as those of the Focus ST. Also identical will
be their high-grade coverings, which have been acclaimed in numerous
rounds of comparative testing.

Moreover, since this ST version of the Fiesta has been developed
as a 'world car,' the fans of sporty cars around the globe will now
be able to enjoy the benefits of Recaro seats. "With this new seat
for the Fiesta ST, we're now, for the first time, a
standard-equipment supplier for a high-volume subcompact model to be
sold in Europe, North America and Asia. This is a very important step
for us," explains Dr. Christian Debus, Global Vice President at
Recaro Car Seating, who is in charge of the company's worldwide
passenger car business.

European production of the Fiesta ST in Cologne will be supplied
with the seats by the main Recaro factory in Kirchheim/Teck.
Meanwhile, the Recaro seats for the Mexican based production of
Fiesta ST models to be sold in North America and Asia will be
manufactured close to the Ford plant in Lerma, Mexico, where a new
Recaro 'plant-in-plant' production facility has been established.
This facility began operating at the end of May, 2013, according to
schedule. The renowned German brand's production activities there
will be supported by the infrastructure and logistics of Johnson
Controls, its parent company. Accordingly, seats for standard
versions of the Fiesta along with the premium RECARO sport seats for
the ST version will be manufacturing at the same site, allowing
Ford's current supply needs to be immediately and efficiently met. As
Debus explains, it is a win-win situation for all parties: "Supplying
the Mexican plant from Germany would not have made sense in terms of
profitability, so 'plant-in-plant' production is an excellent
solution. Our production in Mexico therefore absolutely lives up to
our high standards as a brand-name manufacturer."

RECARO Automotive Seating

Recaro Automotive Seating is a product business unit of Johnson
Controls. At seven locations in Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Japan,
Mexico and the USA we design, manufacture and market complete seats
representative of our core competencies design, ergonomics,
craftsmanship, robustness, lightweight construction and high-class
workmanship under the brand name Recaro. Recaro Automotive Seating
consists of two units: While Recaro Car Seating offers passenger car
seats for OEMs and the aftermarket, Recaro Commercial Vehicle Seating
focuses on commercial vehicle seats in the OEM and aftermarket
segments.

Media Contact:
Tilman Schäfer
Tel.: +49 7021 93-5445
Fax: +49 7021 93-5566
E-mail: presse@recaro-automotive.com

RECARO Automotive Seating
Stuttgarter Str. 73
D-73230 Kirchheim unter Teck
Germany