What SAS Automotive USA makes

SAS Automotive USA assembles complete cockpit modules for vehicle assembly lines. A cockpit module is the fully built instrument-panel unit that drops into a car body in one operation: SAS integrates more than 100 components and sub-systems into it, including the instrument panel, the airbag system, the steering column, and the air-conditioning and HVAC components. The finished module is delivered just-in-sequence, meaning each cockpit is built to match the exact vehicle moving down the customer's line and shipped to the plant in the order it will be installed.

This is systems integration and logistics work rather than parts stamping or molding. SAS takes in trim, displays, wiring, and mechanisms from component suppliers and turns them into a single sequenced module, synchronized to the OEM's build order. The company also assembles other interior modules such as center consoles and front-end modules. In the US, SAS runs this work at three operations: Newark, California; a plant inside the Volkswagen supplier park in Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Michigan operations in the Sterling Heights area, with a US office in Troy. An Alabama operation near Tuscaloosa supplies cockpit modules to the Mercedes-Benz plant nearby.

Because SAS sits directly on or beside the customer's assembly line, its role is closer to a Tier 1 integrator than a component maker. That model depends on precise inbound logistics and disciplined supplier management, since a late or wrong module stops the OEM line.

Ownership and history

SAS was founded in 1996 as a joint venture between Sommer Allibert and Siemens VDO, and it built its business on cockpit-module assembly for European and American automakers. Ownership then moved through the interior-systems consolidation of the last decade. On January 30, 2020, Faurecia completed the purchase of the remaining 50 percent of SAS from Continental, making SAS a wholly owned Faurecia subsidiary and renaming it SAS Interior Modules.

The current owner is the Motherson Group. On July 31, 2023, Samvardhana Motherson, through its subsidiary SMRPBV, completed the acquisition of 100 percent of the SAS Cockpit Modules division from Faurecia, part of the FORVIA Group, at an enterprise value of 540 million euros. The European Commission cleared the deal on July 19, 2023. SAS now operates within Motherson's modules and assemblies business, and Motherson's own directory lists the US sites under the Motherson SAS name. The public SAS website still carries legacy Faurecia branding, which reflects the site's age rather than current ownership.

At the group level, SAS reported net sales of about 896 million euros in 2022 and employed more than 5,000 people across 24-plus locations in Europe, Asia, and the Americas at the time of the Motherson sale. Roughly half of SAS revenue was tied to electric-vehicle programs. Those are global figures; the US entity does not publish standalone financials.

Known customers

SAS assembles cockpit modules on or beside customer plants, so its US customers are the automakers whose lines it feeds. Two US programs are on the public record.

At the global level, the SAS website shows program logos for Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volkswagen, Skoda, SEAT, Renault, Ford, Ford Otosan, and Stellantis brands. Those are worldwide relationships and are not asserted here as US programs.

Sourcing evidence

SAS Automotive USA's import record fits a module assembler: components in, sequenced modules out. Its US operation in Newark, California appears in US customs bill-of-lading records with roughly 1,772 sea shipments on file and activity continuing through late September 2026. The most active foreign suppliers named on those records include Lens Technology Vietnam, Jiangsu Xinquan Automotive Trim, Grupo Antolin Besancon, and H E Kinematics, a mix of display and glass, interior trim, and mechanism suppliers consistent with cockpit and interior-module content.

That pattern, inbound trim and sub-assemblies rather than finished vehicle parts, is the signature of a company that builds modules for domestic just-in-sequence delivery. Coverage caveats apply: these are US ocean-freight records only, so air, truck, and rail movements do not appear, and manifest product codes are noisy. Absence of a record is not evidence of absence.

Frequently asked questions

What does SAS Automotive USA make?

SAS Automotive USA assembles complete cockpit modules, the fully built instrument-panel units that install into a vehicle in a single operation. It integrates more than 100 components per module, including the instrument panel, airbag system, steering column, and HVAC parts, and delivers them just-in-sequence to automaker assembly lines. It also assembles other interior modules such as center consoles and front-end modules.

Who owns SAS Automotive USA?

SAS is a Motherson Group company. Samvardhana Motherson, through its SMRPBV subsidiary, completed the acquisition of the SAS Cockpit Modules division from Faurecia, a FORVIA Group company, on July 31, 2023, at an enterprise value of 540 million euros. SAS was previously a Faurecia subsidiary from January 30, 2020, and was founded in 1996 as a Sommer Allibert and Siemens VDO joint venture.

Where is SAS Automotive USA located?

SAS Automotive USA runs three US operations: Newark, California; a plant in the Volkswagen supplier park in Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Michigan operations in the Sterling Heights area, with an office in Troy, Michigan. An Alabama operation near Tuscaloosa supplies the Mercedes-Benz plant. The global SAS headquarters is in Karlsruhe, Germany.

Who are SAS Automotive USA's customers?

Two US customers are documented: Volkswagen, served from a plant inside the VW Chattanooga supplier park, and Mercedes-Benz US International, served from the Alabama operation. At the group level, SAS supplies cockpit and interior modules to automakers including Audi, Porsche, Skoda, SEAT, Renault, Ford, and Stellantis brands worldwide.

Is SAS Automotive the same as SA Automotive?

No. SAS Automotive USA is the US arm of SAS Autosystemtechnik, a cockpit-module assembler owned by the Motherson Group. SA Automotive is a separate, unrelated Tier 1 interior-components supplier based in Webberville, Michigan. The names are similar but the companies are different.

Last verified September 28, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.