GM's Design Drive Hits the Road

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Working with suppliers, the designers were able to develop a set of radio and climate controls that were more attractive but could be used in multiple models.

The resulting pieces are subtle examples of interaction design. Instead of being fabricated out of one piece of hard plastic, knobs that turn on a vehicle's headlamps, for instance, were made to have multiple components. The textured track where the fingers grip the knob gives it a heavy, well-built feeling. That particular component currently populates the dashboards of certain Cadillac, Chevrolet, and Saturn models.

Seats with an Aura

Seats were another area of focus. Jim Gasparotto, creative designer for color and trim, says inspiration comes from the fabrics used in home furnishings, which display more flair and personality than the habitual gray or black of most car interiors. Gassparotto helped develop deep tan seats with high-quality textures and detailed stitching for the new Saturn Aura, released last year. "Seats are one of the most important components," he says. "They're often the first thing you notice when you open the doors, and they create first impressions."

The company says that of customers buying Auras with leather seating, 30% are choosing Gasparotto's sexy but unconventional Morocco Brown package. For the designer, that's a gratifying statistic, especially since many auto journalists suspected the option would never make it to dealer showrooms.

Designers are still working on GM's key fobs, the miniature remote controls attached to most new car keys. "A key fob is statement, the only component that walks away from the car," says Zak. "In the past, we've had very utilitarian key fobs that work but don't take advantage of the branding opportunity. Our goal is for those to become a conversation piece."

Backslapping Begins

Zak showed development prototypes of fobs that play with form and functionality, blocks of clear, shaped resin and wood, some oval and rounded, others sharp and high-tech looking. Designers, she says, are taking a page from jewelers and makers of high-end watches that are meticulously weighted to feel luxurious and substantial in hand.

The company's efforts have already started paying off. New interiors from the Cadillac, Chevrolet, and Pontiac divisions picked up numerous accolades at last year's Interior of the Year awards held annually by Ward's. And the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado pickup and Saturn Aura sedan were named North American truck and car of the year, respectively, at the North American International Auto Show in January. Both vehicles feature the "black tie" generation of components.

Industry analysts have also been impressed. The recently debuted 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, a high-volume sedan likely to cost around $20,000, stole the Detroit show with an interior crafted to dazzle. That model combines components from other GM models with seats similar to those now popular in the Aura but adds a cabin sculpted like an airline cockpit and an available set of unusual but evocative two-tone color combinations.

Coming Attraction

"It's incredible," says Erich Merkle, director of forecasting at IRN, a Grand Rapids (Mich.)-based automotive research group. "That interior just blows away expectations. I expect it to have a huge effect."

"It certainly looks like a tremendous value for the price," says Jesse Toprak, executive director of industry analysis at Edmunds.com. "It looks like a $40,000 Lexus inside."

Reviews like that are music to GM's ears, no doubt. But designers at the salon had one more piece of work to show off that won't be available until later this year. In the corner of GM's exhibit sat one of four preproduction Cadillac CTS sport sedans. The new version of that vehicle is the first to feature a host of the design lab's next-generation developments.

The CTS's interior is intended as another drastic leap forward. Unlike the "black tie" dash components, the audio and climate control systems are designed to be customizable on a model-by-model and cabin-by-cabin basis. Controls, for instance, can be designed and distributed independently of each other, not having to be a part of a commonly defined layout.

Ready for Reaction

That allows designers to create sweeping surfaces with integrated buttons and knobs more appropriate to the style of each car. That process adds cost, admits Rand, but he and other executives believe the improvements in quality are worth it. "Here, the layout is much more subdominant to the overall themes of the cabin," notes Zak. "That allows us, in this case, to create a sense of spaciousness and sportiness."

The fruits of GM's new interior-design initiative are now either just hitting dealer lots or on the production line. It remains to be seen how sales and quality perceptions are affected, and that has left Rand's designers working fervently on future interiors with one ear cocked to catch industry and consumer reaction. "We didn't really have a choice," says Rand, referring in part to the directive from the top but also to the damage low-quality interiors had done to the company's reputation, "but I'm glad we're here now."

Matt Vella is a reporter for BusinessWeek.com in New York.