FEV and Nature Architects collaborate on the development of AI-supported, innovative vehicle structures

Aachen/Tokyo, September 2025 – Leading international engineering service provider FEV and Japanese technology company Nature Architects (NA) have agreed on a strategic collaboration. The goal is to jointly develop novel vehicle structures that set new standards in lightweight construction, functionality, and development dynamics through innovative design methods using artificial intelligence (AI).

Both companies are contributing their respective strengths to the collaboration: FEV has extensive experience in vehicle development and provides platform data and benchmark models. Nature Architects complements this with a proprietary design platform based on AI-supported form finding, metamaterials, and origami engineering.

An initial joint project to optimize a side impact structure has already been successfully completed. This resulted in a weight reduction of up to 51 percent in the sill reinforcement while maintaining the same energy absorption and thus the same level of passenger safety. The results of this innovative approach, which shortens development times and thus opens up considerable cost-saving potential, were then successfully validated in the overall vehicle model.

“With Nature Architects, we are gaining a partner whose unique design platform ideally complements our portfolio,” says Michael Hog, Group Vice President Vehicle at FEV. “Together, we are creating the basis for a completely new, functionally and weight-optimized component design for our customers, regardless of whether the underlying requirement comes from the areas of deformation, vibration, acoustics, heat transfer, or flow.”

“Our platform allows us to develop new structural concepts beyond human intuition,” says Mr. Tomoya Hayashi, Project Manager at Nature Architects. “Combined with FEV’s engineering expertise, this creates a space for innovation with high customer value.”

In the first year, the focus will be on the German market, where FEV will leverage its strong presence among local OEMs. At the same time, NA will intensify its activities with Japanese automakers. In the medium term, the exclusive cooperation plans to establish the jointly developed technologies worldwide and open up new markets.

The cooperation underscores FEV’s leading AI expertise across the entire development chain – from strategy and data governance to agentic LLM workflows, accelerated simulation and testing, and data-driven diagnostics, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance. This measurably reduces development efforts and significantly shortens time-to-market.

关于 FEV

FEV 始终在挑战极限。
FEV是全球领先的工程服务供应商，也是国际公认的跨部门和行业的创新领导者。秉持着不断进步的伟大愿景，弗朗茨·皮辛格教授通过将他在学术界和工程学方面的背景相结合，为此奠定了基础。该公司为全球最大的汽车行业制造商提供解决方案和战略咨询，并在整个运输和交通生态系统中为客户提供支持。

随着世界的不断发展，FEV也在不断发展。
为此，FEV将其技术和战略专业知识释放到其他领域。它将前瞻性思维应用于航空航天和能源领域。其软件和系统知识将使公司能够引领潮流，为每个人提供智能解决方案。FEV汇集了来自不同背景和专业的专家，为当前和未来的挑战寻找新的解决方案。

但FEV不会止步于此。
展望未来，FEV将继续挑战创新的极限。FEV在全球45多个地点拥有7,000多名高素质员工，其设计的解决方案不仅能满足当今的需求，还能满足未来的需求。为了公司的合作伙伴，为了员工和整个世界，FEV不断发展——以可持续的交通、能源和驱动一切的软件为基础，走向更美好、更清洁的未来。

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About Nature Architects

Nature Architects is a Japanese technology company specializing in the development of design solutions based on metamaterials, origami engineering, and AI-supported shape optimization. The company’s proprietary design platform makes it possible to meet complex physical requirements through targeted shaping and significantly accelerate development processes.