LotPro.com at the Ward’s Auto Interiors Show – it’s a wrap

In addition to the interior of the year awards given out in 6 categories ranging from economy-priced cars to premium-priced trucks, Ward’s also gave out 4 Special Achievement Awards at this year’s Auto Interiors Show.

Why a show about auto interiors? Part Deux.

In a previous article, I mentioned the advantages to living and working in the Detroit Metro area if you happen to be writing for LotPro.com about automobiles: location, location, location. Because in addition to the usual auto shows that you find in any major city, Detroit is home to the greatest concentration of automotive R&D facilities and engineering talent found in the United States. Period. End of discussion.

This also means that metro Detroit also hosts a number of other automotive-related events that can only be found in this particular part of the country – most notably the Automotive News World Congress and the SAE World Congress. Although not nearly as large as either one of those, the Ward’s Auto Interiors Show provides a showcase for this important facet of automotive design and engineering

4 Specialty Categories

Although these categories don’t deal with overall engineering and design execution, they do address 4 very important facets of the driver/automobile interface:

Best Electronic Innovation – Infiniti Around View Monitor - With many new vehicles sporting rear-mounted cameras, Infiniti took that concept one step further. Found on the Infiniti EX35, the Around View Monitor (AVM) utilizes no less than 4 ultrawide-angle, high-resolution cameras to alert the driver of potential problems on every side of the vehicle – virtually eliminating blind spots while, for instance, parking. In addition, sensors provide beeping alerts to indicate proximity as well as superimposing lines on the video image to indicate the best path.

Best (Interior) Redesign – 2009 Hyundai Sonata –  While it certainly wasn’t class-leading at its debut in 2005, by the time 2008 rolled around, the aging dash design of the Sonata was closer in DNA to a Dodge Neon than a Honda Accord – one of its chief competitors. All that has changed with the 2009 Sonata. Although a mild refresh to the exterior front and rear fascias are a welcome change, it’s the interior and, specifically, the dashboard where greatest improvements have been made. Although still adorned with the faux wood usually found in Corollas (faint praise, at best), the rest of the dash is light years of its predecessor.

Best Brand Expression – Volvo C30 – The interior of the C30 exudes Swedish design elegance and simplicity. Minimalist seatbacks, brushed metal accents and contrasting black and gray upholstery give the Volvo an understated, sophisticated look found on very few offerings from the United States or the Far East.

Clever Utility – Dodge Journey -  What domestic vehicles may lack in design elegance, they more than make for in overall utility and the new Dodge Journey is no exception. The Journey features more hidden storage compartments than Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon. For example: the front passenger seat features “Flip ‘n Stow”, a storage compartment that can be accessed by flipping (hence the word ‘flip”) the bottom seat cushion forward to reveal the hidden bin. There are also concealed compartments under the floor in the rear cargo area as well as ahead of the second-row seats (with liners that enable them to be used as ice chests).

Second-row seats feature integrated child booster seats and, when the seatbacks are flipped forward (there’s that word, again), present a small bin as well as 2 cupholders. The front glove box features a “Chill Zone” to keep your beverages cold, while the cargo bay wall features a built-in emergency flashlight. All this, and more, is available in this Swiss Army Knife disguised as a crossover vehicle.

Tags: automotive news, Dodge, dodge journey, Honda, Honda Accord, Hyundai, hyundai sonata, infiniti, infiniti ex35, SAE, Volvo, volvo c30