When repairers look at the next generation of vehicles being created by automakers and the challenges they present to the collision industry, their thoughts typically turn obtaining access to OEM repair instructions and new equipment. If you're focused on new vehicle exteriors, you're only getting half the story – if that. A far bigger issue is what's happening on the inside, in the driver and passenger cabins. Some of the biggest consumer trends in the auto industry are driving automakers to rethink both the function and form of interiors.
Let's look at what's behind these changes, along with what innovations repairers will be seeing and how they will impact the collision industry.
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Fresh territory
Dina DeSenso is vice president of Autoterior Perspectives, a Los Angeles-based design company that works with automakers and the aftermarket. She says automakers have two good reasons to focus their design efforts on interiors. First, pressure to meet CAFE standards and keep their products in specific model groups (SUVs, crossovers, sedans and economy cars) have compelled manufacturers to stick to an increasingly limited set of design principles.
“Right now the public is seeing more vehicle brands than ever on the street, but if you ask your average car buyer to distinguish one car from another – say at about 50 feet – they're going to have a lot of trouble,” she explains. “With the exception of the styling cues that distinguish one vehicle from another, for example a sedan, cars look a lot alike. Our research is finding that customers care less and less each year about the exteriors.”
Increasingly, customers – particularly young and female customers – are drawn more by interiors. DeSenso explains this factor makes particular sense since the interior is where customers actually experience the vehicle. For years, aftermarketers have been benefitting from the sale of interior accents and other products. In an attempt to grab some of this market and distinguish their brand, manufacturers are finally looking to exploit this part of the automotive market.
“The goal now is to attract buyers by letting them personalize this part of the vehicle,” says DeSenso. “People have always used their vehicles to make a statement about themselves. The most natural place to do this is where they sit.”
Material changes
With more customers indicating that environmentalism is an important part of their choice in selecting vehicles, customers are making a statement by choosing vehicles that utilize materials that are eco-friendly and sustainable.
Ford has led much of the charge in this area. The manufacturer already utilizes soy foam in the seats and head restraints of some of its vehicles. Ford plans to use the foam in its entire fleet, where it is today using other bio-product materials such as wheat straw (used as plastic filler in the third-row plastic bins on the 2010 Ford Flex).
It's also begun using parts fashioned from kenaf plant fiber. Kenaf is native to Africa and related to hibiscus, cotton and okra. The plant has been adapted to grow in parts of California and the southern United States and has become popular with environmentalists since it requires few pesticides. Ford's use of kenaf will offset 300,000 lbs. of oil-based resins annually in North America. Since interior parts make extensive use of petroleum-based resins, kenaf holds the promise of being a centerpiece in eco-friendly interior designs.
That promise currently is being delayed by costs, but DeSenso expects costs to drop as more manufacturers adopt kenaf and other bio-products. DeSenso expects that day to arrive soon – probably within the next five years.
“It’s a lot easier for auto manufacturers to switch gears and change how they source interiors parts than other vehicle parts,” she explains. “In this case, it’s critical that they respond to customer wants and demands quickly in this area because car buyers are fueling changes to the interior. If they’re not satisfied, they’ll opt for another brand.”
Luxury for everyone
Gone are the days when buying an inexpensive car entailed being stuck with an interior fitted with thin, unattractive cloth seats and cheap-looking plastic moldings and trim. Automakers are now giving customers options such as leather seating and providing driving interiors that would be just at home in a far more expensive vehicle.
DeSenso notes that this development has been driven largely by younger buyers, who have greater expectations for vehicle comfort and convenience.
“Unlike their parents, this generation grew up being transported to afterschool and other activities in a vehicle,” she explains. “To them, it’s home. They expect to be comfortable during their commutes, have access to their music and information and be surrounded by something attractive.”
DeSenso says domestic automakers are counting heavily on upgraded interiors to help their vehicles compete with the expected influx of low-cost vehicles from India and China.
“They know they’re not going to win on price so they need to offer customers a trade-off for spending a little more each month on a car payment,” she says. “Giving customers a cockpit that makes them feel like they’re in a $50,000 vehicle is just the ticket.”
Putting some light on the situation
There’s little sense in providing upscale interiors if they’re hidden from the driver and passenger views. This factor is helping drive one of the most significant trends in interior design – the addition of ambient lighting.
The additional lights, says DeSenso, serve a dual purpose. It’s both functional and adds aesthetics and personality to the interior.
“It’s the kind of sensible addition that designers have been pushing for years,” she notes. “Adding soft whites, reds, blues and other colors brings this space to life. It makes the cabin enjoyable. You’re in the vehicle to drive, not sleep.”
Ultimate goal: A blank slate
DeSenso believes the addition of all the options and niceties ultimately will lead manufacturers to a new design paradigm – the fully customizable interior. While this notion may seem decades off or a car show concept model pipe dream, she says its realization is closer than many industry analysts can grasp.
DeSenso says this attitude can be attributed to the short shrift analysts have for years given interiors. They may only now be grasping just how quickly interior designs are advancing and how their design is gradually dictating the design of the vehicle itself.
“Along with how a vehicle is powered, the other force that is really impacting the industry is branding to customers the same way that electronics companies are able to,” she explains. “You don’t do this with the exterior. You do it with an interior the customer can personalize the same way they do with smartphone apps. That’s the future.”
Repairer impact
The new manufacturer interest in interiors obviously means more repairer focus on the same area. How does this truly impact collision repairs?
On the repair level, it means refocusing efforts to spot any damage to the interior and ensuring it is returned to pre-crash condition. The same effort repairers invest in restoring exteriors will need to be invested in the interior. Considering the growing number of interior options available to motorists and the number of these that have electronic applications, this stands to be a serious challenge. Having access to OEM repair instructions, along with having employees trained to work on these areas who have access to the necessary diagnostic and repair tools, should be more important than ever.
Repairers will have to turn their minds to new details. For example, restoring and cleaning of eco-friendly parts might be best done with eco-safe products to better appeal to customers.
DeSenso notes that greatest impact new interiors have on the collision industry could be the opportunity they present to reconnect repairers with their true customers – vehicle owners.
“If you’re restoring a damaged interior, you’ll probably need some face time with the customer,” she says. “The owner will know better than anyone if everything is put back in place and functioning the way it should be.”
Imagine that development – a repairer both working and dealing directly with the vehicle owner.
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