Interiors Take the Front Seat in Car Design

No one wants to look at the car sitting in their driveway and think it’s ugly. As much as exterior design is a top consideration when buying a new car, a car’s exterior attractiveness is only a small part of its story.

Vehicles are used from the interior, through the windshield and with the controls at hand (and feet). New vehicles, especially electric vehicles (EVs), are now like offices and lounges, a “third space” on wheels. Automakers are doubling down on their efforts to coddle occupants with entertainment, cocoon-like comforts and high-end technology.

The latest Audi, GMC and Mercedes vehicles show that interior design no longer takes a proverbial backseat to the glossy, curvy exteriors that coax buyers onto dealership lots. And, automakers are finding new ways to differentiate themselves through materials and style when features are ubiquitous.

Audi’s new Q6 E-tron battery-electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) was designed around the concept of , “all-encompassing digitalization, the central importance of sustainability and personal freedom, new definitions of time well spent and luxury,” head designer Marc Lichte explained during a media roundtable. He also talked about understanding customers’ lives as a way to design an interior.

Audi created the Q6 E-tron from the inside out, starting with what it calls the “Softwrap” covering the doors and swinging around to the dashboard, with the same coloring and material as the seats. Audi says it was meant to look like it was designed as a single space.

In its cabin, material choice delineates different areas of the vehicle, subconsciously directing a driver’s fingers and eyes. Audi says that areas for comfort have larger surfaces and soft materials while areas for operation, like the black panel on the doors with controls for mirrors, lights and seats, are in high-gloss black for clarity of functions.

Two decades ago, GMC created a luxury option called Denali, which pushed the limits of premium design for their era. Now, GMC’s most aspirational models wear the Denali and higher-priced Denali Ultimate badge. New for 2024, the GMC Acadia will get a Denali variant.

“As you know, we’ve stretched Denali. We’ve taken the content, the equipment, the levels, the luxury to even higher levels we call that an Ultimate which is basically a full package. They sell quicker than any other vehicle in the line,” Duncan Aldridge, vice president of Buick and GMC told Newsweek.

“What started as a trim level now I’d say is a sub brand. In fact, as for the real learning as we’ve developed, people look for capability but they don’t want to shortcut any of the luxury elements in terms of materials or features or functionality.”

The 2024 GMC Acadia Denali shows off just what luxury GMC is capable of. It is larger in all dimensions with more space inside for both front and back passengers. Functionality comes from one-touch folding second and third row seats and a new panoramic, pillar-to-pillar sunroof.

It has a new interior design language with Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired levels on the dashboard and laser-etched wood with Galvano chrome accents. The leather-wrapped seats are perforated, ventilated and heated, even in the second row.

“GMC’s interior designs have become more structured, architectural and progressive in appearance. The interior details have grown to be pure and purposeful with functionally inspired forms,” Therese Pinazzo, Director of GMC Interior Design told Newsweek.

“Take the Acadia, you can see these forms create horizontal lines that enhance the perception of space while delivering an elevated, premium experience. It’s the application of authentic, premium materials and finishes complimented by unmistakable craftsmanship designed to exceed our customer’s expectations.”

Mercedes-Benz has taken an even more sophisticated approach with the new E-Class family. Its focus on materials and interiors shows, with surfaces inspired by high-end furniture that impress. There’s a new fine-grain finish on all leathers. The E-Class also combines analog and digital with open pore wood that is backlit by the Mercedes-Benz pattern.

Active Ambient Lighting sets the mood here running from the windshield, past the A-pillars and into the doors. It can fade in and out to the beat of the music playing in the cabin.

The center console was designed holistically and feeds into the instrument panel while the door panels merge into the armrest. The seat controls and door openers float off the door surface with more ambient light peeking out.

But materials are only half of the interior equation. Technology is a the forefront of most interior design these days. It starts with a race for more screen inches. The electric Audi Q6 E-tron has an 11.9-inch digital cluster, a 14.5-inch central touchscreen and another 10.9-inch integrated display for the front passenger. The Q6 E-tron can be specified with a concert-inspired 22-speaker system from Bang & Olufsen. Drivers can also choose from 30 ambient light colors.

The 2024 Acadia Denali features a new portrait-oriented 15-inch display with GM’s latest infotainment system. It has Google Built-In including the apps in the Google Play store along with customizable areas. It also offers up to nine camera views. Noise cancelling technology keeps the cabin quiet, unless drivers want sound from the 16-speaker Bose audio system.

Mercedes’ visually stunning 56-inch Hyperscreen found a home in its EQ brand of electric vehicles but the E-Class comes with the smaller Superscreen. Like the Hyperscreen it reaches almost from door to door, and it has a screen for the front passenger.

The system has apps from third parties like Apple Music, TikTok, Angry Birds, Webex and Zoom. Occupants will also be able to watch streaming apps through the ZYNC portal.

“Luxury automakers are paying more attention to interiors than they were 10 years ago. They can no longer compete on features alone when you can get a Kia with heated and cooled seats, a Nissan with self-driving, a Honda with a big screen. Features don’t matter as much as unique differentiators like interior design,” Brian Moody, executive editor of Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader told Newsweek.