A view from the inside

The selection of materials is one of many choices vehicle interior designers face when addressing issues such as ergonomics, aesthetics, comfort, and safety.

The car's interior was once about bench seats front and rear, some fancy dashboard styling, a big steering wheel, comfortable upholstery, and questionable trim material. But in the modern automotive world with its emphasis on safety, ergonomics, comfort, communications, and quality, interior design and engineering have moved to an altogether different level. As safety systems proliferate, it is becoming ever more difficult to integrate them into interior design.

The number of airbags has risen from one in the early 1990s to, typically, between four and six today. “And there will be even more in the future,” said Jan Olsson, Technical Director of Autoliv and Vice President of Engineering at Autoliv Inc. “Two-thirds of all new cars in Europe (30% globally) have side airbags. In 2001, 25% of new cars sold in Europe (10% globally) had head airbags for side-impact protection. Some of our OEM customers fit knee airbags. At least eight airbags can be expected in a typical car in the not-too-distant future and 10 in those with side airbags for rear-seat passengers. We are also developing an anti-submarining bag that will improve the protection of legs and knees, and we have an inflatable carpet for protecting feet and legs against foot-well intrusion,” Olsson said.