First Automotive Seat Belt is Named 2025 SPE Automotive “Hall of Fame” Winner

The industry’s first application of a seat belt – a two-point front seat lap belt – used on the 1949 Nash Motors Airflyte and Ambassador vehicle models has been named the 2025 Hall of Fame Winner by the Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE®). This was the first OEM installation of seat belts, and since that time millions of vehicles have used Nylon and Polyester enabling improvements in mass production, automotive comfort and aesthetics, and most importantly – safety. Seat belts, a novel combination of metal and plastics, are now used worldwide on all automotive vehicles.  This first use of an automotive seat belt, and the people and companies affiliated with it, will be honored and celebrated during the SPE’s 54^th annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala on Nov. 5, 2025 at the Laurel Manor in Livonia, Michigan.   

Representatives from Stellantis will accept the award at the event. Nash Motors was acquired by American Motors, who was acquired by Chrysler, which is now Stellantis. The stage will be shared with Celanese personnel as they have acquired the Nylon resin business from DuPont and Nylon is used in most seat belt applications globally today.  

The two-point front seat application was at first not easily appreciated by the automotive buying public.  That changed when new and improved three-point shoulder/waist designs became the standard for the global automotive market.  Seat belts are now standard on all vehicle front and back seats as a very important safety feature.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, has reported that plastic/metal seat belts have saved over 15,000 lives year after year.

To be considered for a Hall of Fame (HOF) Award, an automotive plastic or composite component must have been in continuous service in some form for 15 years or more, made a significant and lasting contribution to the application of plastics in automotive vehicles, and broadly adopted and/or expanded upon in the automotive industry.  Additional HOF award criteria includes that the nomination be: game changing; very successful worldwide; innovative in materials, process and application; and still being used.  This application certainly qualifies as seat belts are now an industry standard globally.

Established in 1970, the SPE Automotive Innovation Awards is the oldest and largest competition of its kind in the world. Dozens of teams made up of OEMs, tier suppliers, and polymer producers submit nominations describing their part, system, or complete vehicle and why it merits the claim as the Year’s Most Innovative Use of Plastics. This annual event typically draws over 600 OEM engineers, automotive and plastics industry executives, and media. As is customary, funds raised from the event are used to support SPE educational programs and technical conferences, which help to secure the role of plastics in the advancement of the

Automobile.

Sponsors of the 2025 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Gala to date include: Celanese, BASF Corporation, American Chemistry Council – Plastics Division, Sabic, Covestro, Omya Specialty Materials, ElringKlinger Automotive Manufacturing, 3M Advanced Materials, and Nifco.

The mission of SPE is to promote scientific and engineering knowledge relating to plastics worldwide and to educate industry, academia, and the public about these advances. SPE’s Automotive Division is active in educating, promoting, recognizing, and communicating technical accomplishments in all phases of plastics and plastic-based composite developments in the global transportation industry. Topic areas include applications, materials, processing, equipment, tooling, design, and development.

For more info on the SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Competition and Gala go to:

hcps://speautomotive.com/spe-automotive-div-innovation-awards/.

For more info on the SPE Automotive Division go to: https://speautomotive.com/.

For more info on the Society of Plastics Engineers go to: hcps://www.4spe.org/.