The New GM Pickups; Development Of The Interior Design

[Perian]

The Detroit News

December 12, 2012

Article Quotes:

When General Motors Co.'s all-new 2014 Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras roll into showrooms next year, pickup buyers will find higher-quality cabin materials, bigger control knobs that will be usable with work gloves, increased connectivity with smartphones and other electronic devices, more storage — and a truck interior that stays truck.

The automaker showed truck owners several interior sketches, some of which had hints of automobile or luxury interiors. But buyers didn't want that, Emsley said. Truck buyers today differ from 10 years ago when many purchased them for both business and family use.

"They want it to look like a truck. They want it to feel like a truck. They want it to handle like a truck, and the interior especially," she said.

GM seemed to have winning interior sketch about three years ago after 100-150 GM and non-GM truck owners declared a winner during a clinic in Dallas. Still, Emsley wasn't comfortable and asked Ed Welburn, GM's vice president of global design, if her team could keep sketching and conduct another clinic.

Typically, designers only repeat a clinic for poorly received sketches. Emsley wanted the same people to see new sketches.

"I said, 'GM, that's one of our biggest mistakes in the past. We haven't really listened,' " Emsley recalled. " 'We need to go back and listen. 'Did we answer what you said?' "

The company showed two new sketches (plus the original winner). The group liked a new one that had incorporated their feedback.

Among the changes: new instrument panels, larger controls and toggle switches that press down to activate things such as park assist. Some told GM they didn't like seeing blank switches for features they declined.

Emsley reconvened the group a third time — about two years ago — to have shoppers sit in mock-ups.

The group told GM the interiors were modern and futuristic, and would hold up against the competition for a long time.

"If (pickup buyers) like their truck when they buy it, they don't change them that often because they're very practical people," Emsley said. "They keep them a long time, so that's why it's so important for them when they buy it, (that) it has everything that they want."

The company is spending more on materials. GMC customers will see aluminum instead of plastic on trim areas. Fabric seats in black, tan and gray will be made from a cloth that lasts longer and resists staining.

Dealer-operator Greg Brown predicts his store's truck sales will double each of the next three years.

He called the interior of the 2014 model a "night and day" difference. "(It's an) unbelievable truck," he said. "I love it. … The luxury and what it can do, it is a comfortable driving vehicle with a bed on the back."

[Perian]

Tomorrow is a big day for GM.

The new pickups have to be a smash hit.

Is "13" GM's new lucky number? Pickups introduced on 12/13, new Corvette coming on 01/13. Chevy's new "SS" NASCAR racecar is #13, and of course there is GM's "13 in 13" model introduction plan.

[84jeepjohn]

Wow. Sounds like the pics we saw of the interiors may have been false, like a lot of people said? Granted that test group could have been a bunch of people who loved it too. Ahh about 25 hrs till the rest of us know

[Ambalanche]

Yes, they better be great products! I really hope that interior we saw a couple months ago was really super pre-production because both Ford and Ram have much superior interiors to GM's vehicles now and what little I saw was not impressive. But I believe it was the dash since she spoke about toggle switches...I hope to be pleasently surprised!

[ponchoman49]

Quote: Fabric seats in black, tan and gray will be made from a cloth that lasts longer and resists staining.

Already a strike here. Why can't we have some different interior colors for god sake? So sick of every stinking truck with black lung or stains R us tan. And heaven forbid if GM puts any fake wood trim in the higher level trims.

[DirtyMoney]

Guys, when Ford came out with new interiors in their F-150 (2004) I was very impressed. Although GM had stepped up their interiors, I never thought they were a match in design. I am both optimistic and cautious about tomorrow's reveal. I know what GM is capable of...Let's do it!!

[SDRacing]

Hmmm, car guys designing trucks.........and now they want to listen?

Lets hope some of that aluminum trickles over to Chevrolet.

[cmutt]

I hope that GM doesn't "think too much" on this one. While it's important to listen to focus groups, it's an entirely different thing to led them completely drive-the-bus on design and features.

Relevant (from the Simpson's):

Can you name the truck with four wheel drive, smells like a steak and seats thirty-five.. Canyonero! Canyonero!

[FanOfDurant]

I guess we'll see tomorrow. I want Chevrolet to destroy Ford. That's the bottom line... "Beat them over the head with a bat" as that dork over there once said Ford would do to Chevy.

[Chop]

Quote: Fabric seats in black, tan and gray will be made from a cloth that lasts longer and resists staining.

Already a strike here. Why can't we have some different interior colors for god sake? So sick of every stinking truck with black lung or stains R us tan. And heaven forbid if GM puts any fake wood trim in the higher level trims.

Given that you have stated that you don't like black and you don't like Tan because it stains, what possible colour is left that GM could choose that you would find acceptable?????

[XCR440SP]

Hopefully they'll give some COLOR choices for the interior. Like Corvette, black interior with Red seats or two-tone leather.

I like many am tired of Casket Gray, Cave Black and cat excrement tan interiors. Ford does it in the special editions (Look at a 2013 F-150 Limited), but no one is doing it on the regular trucks. Used to be able to get Blue or burgandy interiors, why not bring them back, or at least the option of seat color options in a black environment, wouldn't require much in additional cost as only the seats would vary. I suspect this would cost much less than they're going to spend to not have dummy holes in the dash for options not ordered (but I like that too).

[SeetheUSA]

I heard all this when the GMT-800's came out. They made sure alll the buttons and doors were easy to use with gloves. Why did they take the gloves off for the current gen? That crappy Impala dash shocked me when I saw it. I knew the buttons on the A/C and radio were much too small. Here's hoping this new truck will be great- and that the fabric on the seats won't lint up like they do now!!

[prowlerjc]

The 73-78 Chevy/GMC trucks have never been surpassed.

[CADILLACSIXTEEN]

Given that you have stated that you don't like black and you don't like Tan because it stains, what possible colour is left that GM could choose that you would find acceptable?????

Maybe white would be better suited

[smith7629]

I totally agree with the design strategy of being more functional and "truck like". I don't like the SUV interior in the current trucks; just doesn't seem to fit its character or function. I'm looking forward to seeing a truck built with a rugged purpose and not a luxury car on a truck chassis. BTW, 13 is my lucky number too.