Interiors Tell Driver’s Story, Chrysler Designer Says

AUSTIN, TX – It wasn’t long ago that Chrysler’s vehicle interiors were bland and indistinguishable.

The blueprint was simple: Rectangular steering wheels with the Pentastar logo in the middle, regardless whether the vehicle was a Chrysler, Dodge or Plymouth, accented by beige, beige and more beige trim.

Some gray elements were thrown in on occasion.

As the auto maker emerged from bankruptcy and came under the guiding hand of new owner Fiat, long-criticized cabins throughout the product portfolio were given rapid makeovers.

That helped upgrade the line, but now it’s time for each brand to stand out individually, a top designer at the auto maker says.

“Specific to Jeep, we believe we’re not selling dishwashers on wheels. We’re selling an iconic vehicle,” Klaus Busse, in charge of interior design, tells WardsAuto here at a media drive for the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

For the ’14 model year, more Jeep models will feature refreshed interiors than any other Chrysler brand, with upgrades to the Compass, Patriot, Grand Cherokee and sport-tuned SRT Grand Cherokee, in addition to the forthcoming Cherokee that replaces the Liberty.

The design team, influenced by trends from around the world, developed trim palettes that look as though they were pulled directly from the pages of National Geographic. Busse speaks of travels to volcanic Mount Vesuvius in Italy, as well as Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand and destinations closer to home.

“The Grand Canyon was a clear (influence) we used,” Busse says, referring to the Grand Cherokee’s top-of-the-line Summit trim. “You see all these beautiful, warm, brown tones.”

He says Jeep may be the first to offer copper accents in its cabins.

“I was happy I didn’t see anyone else with it,” Busse says of the new models he surveyed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

“The Grand Cherokee is the first to show that. There are other products within the Jeep portfolio that will have a similar story.”

Busse says stories are what ultimately link customers to their cars. They are the places Jeep owners visit or dream of visiting.

“You can buy a Jeep, and you’re probably into off-roading or traveling, you like to go around the world. That’s really what those packages bring – a more around-the-world philosophy,” he says.

“It’s a story our customers can identify with.”

The commitment to interior design isn’t slowing with this year’s refreshes, as Busse announces via Twitter that the auto maker has snagged Volvo North America’s chief interior designer Christopher Benjamin, who also has had stops at BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Despite Fiat’s controlling stake, the Italian auto maker is not trying to influence the design path for Chrysler’s U.S. brands, Busse contends.

“We do compare processes,” he says about the relationship between the American and European brands. “If we do something better, they learn from it. If they do something better, we learn from it.

“But we clearly view our cars being our cars and their cars being theirs.”

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