Southfield-based Lear Corp., a global automotive seating supplier, today announced for the first time its seating business is a sponsor of Mahindra Racing in the FIA Formula E Championship, the first global single-seater championship for electric cars.
The FIA Formula E Championship is the world’s first fully-electric racing series, competing on the streets against a backdrop of famous cities including Hong Kong, Marrakech, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Berlin, Paris, Montreal, and New York City.
“As a global leader in automotive seating and the world’s premier supplier of performance and luxury automotive seating, Lear is proud to sponsor Mahindra Racing in competing in the FIA Formula E Championship,” says Matt Simoncini, president and CEO of Lear.
“We have worked closely with the Mahindra Group since 1998 and are proud to supply our valued partner with more than 300,000 seat sets for their production vehicles on an annual basis. Mahindra Racing’s passion for both Formula E and world-class engineering are values the Lear team shares.”
Mahindra Racing is one of 10 teams — and the only Indian team — to compete in the FIA Formula E Championship. It’s also the first team to participate in the FIM MotoGP World Motorcycle Racing Championship series since 2011.
After three seasons, the team’s vehicle, M3Electro, has proven to be competitive, earning two podiums, a pole position, and fastest lap award in its first two faces. Drivers Felix Rosenqvist and Nick Heidfeld have technical and competitive plans for the fully-electric championship.
The race represents a vision for the future of the motor industry, providing a platform to showcase the latest innovations in electric vehicle technology and alternative energy solutions.
The 2016/17 FIA Formula E Championship sees 10 teams and 20 drivers compete in 10 cities spanning five continents in the fight to be crowned Formula E champion. The inaugural season of Formula E began in Sept. 2014 around the grounds of the Olympic Park in Beijing.
The third season of the all-electric racing series began on Oct. 2016 in Hong Kong, with the season finale double-header in Montreal on July 29 and 30.
