Designers Struggle to Jazz Up Bland Interiors

One size, three colors. That sums up the interior design theme for too many vehicles today. No matter what brand or model, especially among domestic brands, there's not much originality. Grey, black and beige are the standard colors, comingled with the ever-present plastic and vinyl.

Auto interior specialists gathered recently in Detroit for the 2002 Auto Interiors Show and discussed what future interiors might look like, and — among other issues — how Big Three interiors could become more competitive with European and Japanese competitors. “Consumers vote every time they walk into a dealership, and it's pretty clear they're not voting for us,” says Larry Denton, president of Dow Automotive, a major interior plastics supplier.

Carpeting the instrument panel and rubber or plastic flooring are a couple of design concepts kicked around by panelists. On the quirky side are interior trim details that change colors or glow in the dark.

“Fabric on the IP is more of a niche item,” says Katherine Sirvio, lead designer for General Motors Corp.'s Design, Color and Trim Studio. “It's not something you'll see every Chevrolet come out with.”

Good interior styling no longer will be the domain of high-priced luxury makes, predicts Ralph Gilles, director-Studio 3 at DaimlerChrysler Corp. He points to BMW AG's new Mini Cooper as proof that vehicles don't have to be expensive to have interesting, well-styled interiors.

More colorful interior plastics could jazz up the standard gray, beige and black so common in vehicles today, contends Lorene Boettcher, international styling coordinator for The Seton Co., an interior leather supplier.

Sirvio says Americans' desire to take everything down to the lowest common denominator is preventing U.S. auto makers from taking chances on new materials and innovative interior styling. The wildly-styled Pontiac Aztek, which so far has failed to catch on with buyers, is a case in point.

“The Aztek was daring and different. We had every opportunity to do something different, but we (Americans) don't want to read an owners manual,” says Sirvio, referring to controversy sparked by the addition of a cleaning care tag for some of the materials in Ford's F-150 pickup truck.

Sirvio is trying to flesh out — or perhaps the appropriate term is flush out — new ways of adding pizazz to normally mundane details. She points to the stylish and professionally designed home products at Target stores as proof that even an unremarkable plastic toilet brush can be eye-catching.

Near-term, consumers can expect more technology, such as telematics, to be squeezed into vehicle interiors, but some expect consumers to rebel by demanding less-cluttered interiors. “At Honda we see simplicity and calmness as a trend,” says Michael Tsay, manager, auto interior design and a principal designer, Honda R&D Americas. “How to add features, how you present them to the customer, will be a challenge.”