Until recently, most cars were designed from the outside-in, but increasingly, designers say the whole car is being planned around the interior. So what do consumers want from their next car interior? Matthew Beecham reports.
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Consumer research drives interior trends
Over the past few years, Visteon has asked this question time and again, investing time and effort to pinpoint what the consumer is really looking for in their next car. “Through our structured approach into understanding what the consumer wants [from vehicle interiors], we found that consumers are quick to notice inferior quality instrument panels,” said Alan Moore, product marketing manager for Visteon. “They want better materials, grain and more padding. They kept referring to the fact that they have got nice things in their home and expect to see that in their cars. The difference between European and Asian consumer preferences is particularly marked. People take cues on what they perceive as good and bad based on their cultural background and what they value themselves.”
Visteon has interviewed drivers on every continent, quizzing them about everything from their preferences for certain materials to colour. “It is certainly true that there is a trend toward more yellows and blues but not green,” added Martin West, product marketing manager for Visteon. “We are also starting to see more sporty but traditional accents in cars, for instance reds with some leather. Designers are using colour palettes to target different consumer segments. As part of our consumer research, we took a colour palette used on a North American car, showed it to some Chinese consumers and asked them what they would change. The result was a completely new colour palette for the Chinese variant of that vehicle, incorporating new materials and features.”
The French group Faurecia sees two main differences between European and North American consumers’ preferences with regard to vehicle interiors. Philippe Aumont, Vice President, Product Planning for Faureica, said: “The first one is that the North American market is more open to ‘surprise and delight feature’ such as small storage somewhere or hooks attached to the headrest to hang your coat. Americans are very attracted by that. The second difference is the way in which you execute the feature. For example, European consumers are used to fully powered front seats whereas in North America they are keen on partially powered seats such as the height adjuster and nothing else. Another example is the level of seat comfort itself. In North America they prefer soft seats whereas in Europe the emphasis is on harder seats with tight trim. Although within Europe historically it is true that French seats were typically softer than German seats, the difference today is less marked as French OEMs increasingly targeting the German vehicle market.”
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By GlobalDataAnd of course, expectations of vehicle interiors vary across age groups. Silke Strauch, Consumer Research Manager for Johnson Controls, said: “Expectations and demands on an automotive interior vary with the age and lifestyle of car buyers. One example of this is the MPV [Multi Purpose Vehicle] segment in which interior variability has increased noticeably in comparison with conventional vehicle concepts, in particular for parents between 30 and 45 years of age. This target group is especially interested in features such as flexible seating concepts that can be easily varied and adjusted to suit individual needs. This shows once again how research into the requirements of various age and target groups is indispensable for successful product development, which is why we devote so much energy to consumer studies. For example, Johnson Controls carried out a consumer study with potential future first-car buyers. This so-called ‘New Youth’ generation, aged between 15 and 20 years today and planning to buy their first new car in 10 to 15 years, grew up with modern technologies such as Internet, computers, mobile phones and MP3 players. They expect to find these technologies reflected in their future car. Consumer research thus generates valuable insights for the company to apply to the development of products for the vehicle generation of tomorrow and beyond.”
Take a seat
Though modern car seats are more comfortable and safer than ever before, flexibility, comfort and safety continue to be the main drivers of this business which increasingly dominated by a few tier one suppliers like Johnson Controls, Intier and Faureica.
As OEMs demand greater differentiation in their seat designs, customers want more and more luxury and added value. Randy Koenigtsknecht, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Intier Automotive Seating, said: “[Consumers] are looking for reconfigurabilty which basically gives them a choice of adapting their vehicle interior to their immediate need. As they make changes from cargo to people hauling, they need to do that quickly without the hassle of removing the seats from the vehicle.”
Chrysler also reckons that interior flexibility is likely to be the biggest interiors trend for the next few years, and not just in minivans. Engineers at Intier Automotive were given only 15 months to develop the much-applauded Stow-n-Go second-row seats for the carmaker’s 2004 minivans, once the company won the contract in October 2002. “It was a record,” said Mike Stefani, Vice President of Engineering, Intier Automotive Seating. “Most programmes take 24 – 36 months whereas if you go back five years it was 48 months programme. Our engineering background stretching over 20 years helped us to achieve an almost impossible task.” The project ran virtually 24 hours a day, seven days a week from Intier’s Michigan offices, and from the beginning, a Six Sigma ‘black belt’ engineer monitored the work in progress. The trickiest detail was the seat folding mechanism, and several models were built in the search for the ideal solution. The company designed no less than 80 prototypes before finalising the Stow-n-Go design.
Koenigtsknecht points out that the unique aspect of the Stow-n-Go is the floorplan depressions. He said: “They have a cover over them that you can use as storage when the seat is not deployed into it. So you have extra added value for storage. They are very slim – only 200mm thick — and can be operated with one hand. It sets a whole new benchmark for the industry. Although we presented concepts of this nature in the past, it took a large effort from the OEM to integrate the required changes to the body structure to help achieve the optimum package.”
With refined comfort and flexibility in mind, Johnson Controls used the 2005 North American International motor show to reveal its next-generation FastForward seating concept. Johnson Controls claims its FastForward seating system will bring new levels of comfort, flexibility and cargo carrying capabilities to SUVs and minivans. FastForward was designed to meet the increasing demand for vehicle interiors to be re-configured quickly and simply, to adapt to a variety of uses. FastForward seating is claimed to be the fastest people-to-cargo seating system in the industry by pressing a key fob button. In ten seconds, passenger seats fold into a true flat load floor.
Figure 1
Johnson Controls’ FastForward seat.
Source: Johnson Controls.
Faurecia’s Aumont said: “Slimline seats are becoming very important. OEMs want a seating system which is easier to package and collapse. Slimline seating also creates a better impression of space in the cabin, opening up the interior. And yet we have to achieve the same level of comfort with a lower thickness. We are currently developing new types of foam to satisfy that.”
Intier’s Stefani added: “A major thrust of R&D is to use lighter weight materials in slimmer profile seats which require more exotic suspensions and foams. We are also developing deployable bolsters which are articulating. In other words, we are able to take a slim profile seat integrated with bolsters which deploy and retract to give you that luxurious depth and feel that you want for seat comfort. There are a lot of things we are doing with suspensions, foams and mechanisms to offer that.”
Leather smells
There are signs that leather is making a come back in vehicle interiors. “Although we are seeing more leather coming through in the premium sector, we are also seeing it in the C and D segments, both on the instrument panel and door panel,” said Visteon’s West. “Visteon recently launched a leather-wrapped instrument panel on the Citroen C4. Other OEMs are also looking at leather variants to meet their customers’ requests to have a premium leather interior.” His colleague, Alan Moore added: “As some people down-size their vehicles, they still want some genuine materials such as leather in their cars available as optional.”
“In the mid range segments such as the Peugeot 307, we are seeing an increase in the fitment of leather,” said Faurecia’s Aumont. “The use of leather is increasingly spreading from seats to doors and instrument panels of coupes and cabrios. But I think it will come on higher production cars, too. Because people are furnishing their homes with more and more leather, they want to see it in their car, too. We are also investigating other materials that will give you the similar luxurious impressions.”
Intier’s Koenigtsknecht said: “We are seeing a trend toward leather moving down in the market into economy class cars as an optional feature. That movement is triggering a lot of investigation into leather alternatives and soy-based vinyls and polyurethane type leather substitutes, or so-called protein vinyls.”
“Leather and leather-look fabrics have always been classical materials used in cars and they are still very much a status symbol reflecting luxury and hence always favoured by customers,” said Britta Leer, Industrial Design, Designer Colour & Materials for Johnson Controls. “The main properties of leather that contribute to its luxurious impression are its durability, tactile feel and smell. Each of these properties can be adjusted to offer a fantastic range of unique products. As it is a natural product, there are no issues with leaching and emission of harmful substances such as plasticizers and hydrocarbons. Finally, virtually any colour is possible, but leather is always easy to clean regardless. There is, however, a new trend towards using leather in different ways. The focus is on texture and finish, featuring details such as stitching, cut-outs, embossing, laser etching and mixing of leathers. Alternatives that have emerged in the market in recent years are split leather and alcantara fabrics. Nevertheless, the demand for leather will always increase in the future.”
Cocooned in a cockpit
This area directly in front of the driver and front seat passenger, is commonly called the cockpit. Despite the smooth lines and simple appearance, the cockpit is one of the most complicated and tightly packaged assemblies in a vehicle. It is also one of the most inaccessible. The cockpit may contain 50% of the total vehicle wiring system and most of the vehicle functions are controlled from this area. With several hundred individual components, it is also one of the most common sources of quality problems. The standard of design and manufacture is therefore critical.
According to Visteon, the cockpit is a system that ‘incorporates the physical and functional interfaces of plastic, vehicle structure, steering and climate systems, all designed and engineered with a consumer focus on style, comfort, convenience, safety and security.’ The company has created a seamless look and feel on instrument and door panels for the Renault Modus. It was the company’s first commercial European application of its so-called negative vacuum forming thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO), also known as negative thermoforming. Negative vacuum forming is the technology used to form and imprint grain to skins. The raw material used in the process is TPO non-grained foil. The grain is printed on the skin during the vacuum forming process, while heat, vacuum and pressure are combined. The grained mould is porous to permit air extraction from the skin. “By using negative vacuum forming, we can achieve a better grain definition with greater cost effectiveness,” said Moore. “It means that we can use one tool for all production instead of a whole suite of tools. By applying the grain through the tool instead of using a pre-printed sheet gives us more design freedom.”
“Another key benefit of using this technology is that it offers greater harmony between the door panel and the instrument panel,” said West. “We can now offer a consistent material right across the interior.” Moore added that luxury vehicle manufacturers pay a premium to get the same colour and finish across the top of the vehicle’s interior. “Our process means that we can now offer that at a more affordable price,” he said.
Intier’s Koenigtsknecht also notes the importance of grain in vehicle interior coverings. He said: “The grain can play a key element in the perception of the craftsmanship because incorrect selection of the grain can cause a perception that it is too plastic on the interior. Even leather can look plastic depending on the grain applied to it.”
Delphi has been selected to supply the instrument panel, console and entire cockpit assembly for the new Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV and the new R-Class Grand Sport Tourer. This business represents the largest contract Delphi has ever had with Mercedes-Benz, although the first generation M-Class also featured a cockpit developed and manufactured by Delphi. The icing on the cake for Delphi came during the last Auto Interiors show held in Detroit in May 2005. The 2006-model year Mercedes-Benz M-Class was voted by industry experts as ‘Auto Interior of the Year’ in the premium truck category. “We have built Mercedes cockpits since 1997,” said Lon Offenbacher, Business Line Manager, Cockpits, Delphi Corp. “Our relationship has really grown over the years. Our engineering team at our technical centre is Germany is an integral part of Mercedes design and integration team.”
In looking ahead at how cockpit modules might evolve through this decade and beyond, Offenbacher added: “Our value proposition is to bring more design integration to the customer, i.e. not just offer an assembly of parts that is done better but a better assembly of fit and function into fewer parts. For instance, our Hybrid Cross-Car Beam is really the integral part of the structure of the vehicle. Our concepts are designed to integrate the air distribution system channels for electrical power distribution as well as that structure. “
For some time, we’ve seen cockpit designers working on ways in which to display more information yet make the dash appear less complex. As we see it, the general approach is to ensure that only the most essential information is displayed while remaining features are available in the background or brought up at will. But the increasing fitment of sophisticated mobile multimedia systems, as well as safety and security items suggest that this part of the interior is still in its infancy in terms of development. How will that evolve? “I see a real mixed bag in the market place,” added Offenbacher. “You do see some designs taking a true focus on simplicity, good ergonomics in terms of reach, visual attention to more use of universal symbols and fewer buttons. And yet I also see some other vehicle manufacturers come out with a great deal of features with loads of buttons, lights and dials that takes a little bit of time to get used to. I see the whole spectrum of that. But in general, I see more attention to ergonomics and less driver distraction. And certainly the mobile multimedia devices mean there is more chance of clutter. That is a design challenge for people like us. We have to transform the fit and functionality of those parts in a fashion so that it doesn’t look like clutter but an integrated part of design. The Mercedes-Benz M Class is a good example of a highly integrated cockpit.”
Accuride also sees a number of trends occurring in the interior which will affect its business. “Replacing the conventional handbrake with an electric parking brake effectively liberates the space between the two front seats,” Christian Drenth, Business Manager, Automotive Business Unit, Accuride International. “Consequently, we are seeing demand for sliding armrests and moving consoles front the front to the back of the car. We are also seeing a trend toward height adjustable arm rests. It all has to do with space management within a car – making room for more and more airbags and electronics. We are also seeing more and more possibilities for our sliding mechanisms in the automotive interior responding to the trends of comfort, ergonomics, space management and perceived quality.” Accuride is one of the world’s largest suppliers of telescopic ball-bearing slides. Its products are used for sliding armrest, underseat storage, seat adjustment and loading platform applications.
Figure 2
Audi Underseat Storage Drawer
Source: Accuride.
For sure, interior designers are continually reinventing interiors to appeal to folk of all shapes, sizes, ages and cultures. Not only is there the problem of defining comfort levels, but there are also cosmetic questions of colour, trim, covering materials used, durability, use of child seats, headrests and overall seating arrangement. Above all, a vehicle’s interior is a critical element in the overall design process and regarded by the carmaker as one area where the individuality of the car can be demonstrated. As manufacturers attempt to add more features and create more interior space in the small car segment, designers and material suppliers are being urged to come up with new ideas, such as slimline seats. While thinner seats will add crucial space inside smaller cars, the ability to transform the cabin to suit different needs remains topical in the sport utility and minivans segments. While interior trim is by no means a high-technology product, the technical boundaries are being pushed back to improve appearance, save weight, enhance safety, simplify installation and above all cut cost.
In this third edition report, just-auto extends the analysis to provide market Containing exclusive interviews from most of the leading OEM suppliers in interiors, this edition offers a real perspective of what the major suppliers are currently working on, and helps outline the product developments for the near future. These perspectives are a must for OEMs, and suppliers alike. To find out more about this report, download your sample or to order your copy, please follow this link. |
Global market review of automotive interiors – forecasts to 2011 (download)
value forecasts by product segment for seat systems, door panels, flooring and acoustics systems, instrument panels and headliners in Western Europe, North America and Japan, from 2001 through 2011. 
