- Posted on Wednesday, November 29th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
Another Look Inside the Interior Salon
By Gayle Weiswasser
GM Consultant
I had the good fortune of attending the GM Interior Design Salon the other day in LA. I was very impressed with what I saw, but more important, the media and bloggers who came through were extremely engaged in what GM presented. Each session lasted about an hour and a half, and I’ve tried to capture some elements that show the passion and excitement that is normally cloaked behind the secure walls of GM Design in Warren, Mich.
First, Kate Zack, Global Director of Components for GM, showed us what GM is doing with seat design. Seats are the biggest and most expensive of all of the vehicle interior components (which include seats, steering wheels, shifters, graphics, instrument panels, etc.). GM is doing some innovative things with seats - active cooling/heating systems, lumbar support, safety features, and incorporation of entertainment technology. But what stood out most for me was the look of the new seats for the Saturn Aura - beautiful two-tone brown leather with hand stitching. I don’t usually notice details like that in a car, but it really made a positive impression on me.
Kate also talked about the challenge facing car designers in the area of emerging consumer technology. GM wants to be responsive to consumer desires to integrate personal devices, such as iPods, PDAs and mobile phones, into vehicle consoles. Given the rapid pace of change in technology, staying current — and making sure that current models are able to adapt to future technology %#151; is a challenge.
We had an interesting discussion about color with Jim Gasparetto, creative designer. Silver is still the most popular color choice for cars, but brighter colors (oranges, reds and blues) are increasing in popularity. I didn’t realize how closely GM designers follow fashion trends in developing external paint colors for cars. Designers are already working on colors that we’ll see in four or five years, based on color trends coming out of fashion houses in Paris, Milan and New York.
As Dave Rand, executive director for interiors, said, this is the moment for GM design — they call it Turnaround by Design. This is the time for designers to experiment and take risks. And it shows in what I saw. I’m looking forward to hearing what you have to say.
This past May, my colleague Nellie Lide interviewed Michael Burton, director of design for the interior of the Buick Enclave. Since GM revealed the production version of the Buick Enclave, we thought this might be a good time to show this video. Michael talks about the thought and feeling that goes into designing the interior of a luxury mobile like the Enclave — and the relationship between fashion and car design.
2 Comments
Edward Hayes
I think the two tone interiors on the Solstice, Sky and Aura are really awesome. So too is the two tone interior recently shown on the Malibu. Best of all, I am so glad the one monotone gray, or red or black disasters are gone from these cars for good I hope.
I always thought the imports were the best at using color. Here is how I think the grade falls. As far as interiors using multi-colors, I always thought Mercedes just took it to a new level blending black, dark gray grayish-white and even lighter gray tints for the seats and rug mixed with compliments of black and real wood. And that would just be the gray color option. They would perform the same symphony of color with their tan or black interior options.
As far as exterior colors I still think today Japan has a leg up. Honda in particular has cars with no bad colors. Every color option such as tan, light blue or silver all seem to be picked with the greatest of care. Often dispensing of the harsh colors Detroit loves like electric blue and eccentric green or idiosyncratic gray.
Honda also often manages to match a beautiful tint on their windows that compliments their eclectic colors, tan car, tan tint, light blue car, blue tint. Toyota has done an equally good job with the use of tinted windows, with the frosting used on the RX 330. The black out effects of the dark tints used on the Sienna minivan make it look down right hip. I think Detroit sees tint as an after thought or an after market job, by that time it is too late.
Look, Detroit write this down, tint is the spice of automobile design and right now its grade school fare vs. iron chef America.
Emeril said if you wait to add the spices until the food is done, then it is too late.
I challenge GM to make good on upgrading the exterior color palate as well and incorporate better tints and black out and frost out effects to its windows and trim.
Bill Donaruma
wrote once before that Buick had as Michael Burton described a sense of style and swagger. It has become a car for the elderly. I always loved Buick and owned several….. but the immage has gone older. I suggest you get a designer like Ralph Lauren to design colors and add bit more of style and make a convertible Lucern. This would take back the upper aging yuppies from the german market
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