Chrysler Turns Interior Design Inside-Out
27 July 1998
Chrysler Turns Interior Design Inside-Out AUBURN HILLS, Mich., July 24 -- Leave it to Chrysler
Corporation to turn interior design inside out.
Chrysler, the automobile company that has become synonymous with
breakthrough styling in recent years, will turn its energies inward to refine
interiors to the highest standards possible. The company, which is also known
for its innovative approach to design and production, has created a first-of-
its-kind center that will position itself at the industry's leading edge when
it comes to the development and assembly of interior trim components.
The new Chrysler Interior Craftsmanship Center, located in Auburn Hills,
Mich., will coordinate, track, evaluate and approve all interior components on
Chrysler vehicles.
More importantly, the center will seek to centralize and integrate
processes used to improve and enhance the finish, texture and color match of
all materials used inside Chrysler vehicles.
The new center is equipped with viewing rooms and state-of-the-art
lighting systems. Each evaluation room at the center is fitted with fixtures
that provide incandescent and fluorescent light, as well as lighting that
duplicates dawn, midday and dusk conditions.
"We're proud to be the first automaker to open such a center," said Doug
Czop, Supervisor -- Interior Craftsmanship. "More importantly, we feel we're
pushing the envelope of how the entire industry may view interior development
and production readiness in the future.
"Chrysler has distinguished itself as one of the automotive design
leaders," added Czop. "And we feel strongly that our customers will
appreciate the fact that we've taken this standard-setting attention to detail
to the next level on the interiors of our vehicles."
The most important change brought on by the center is the process of
evaluation and approval.
"We are changing the whole scope of the process," Czop said. "By bringing
in all the parts at an earlier stage to make sure the design intent is being
met, we will offer best-in-class finish, texture and color on all our cars,
trucks, Jeeps(R) and minivans.
"Take the term 'fit-and-finish,'" Czop added. "Everyone's clamoring about
fit-and-finish, and in reality about 90 percent of the time is spent on the
fit of a component and about 10 percent on the finish. Yet when you go to buy
the product it's the finish that sells it.
"When you go to the dealer and buy a car, typically what draws you to the
car is the exterior, but what really sells the car is when you get inside it
-- the interior," said Czop.
According to Czop, Interior Craftsmanship Center contributions will be
seen in the next generation of Chrysler vehicles, and should begin paying
dividends with more best-in-class quality awards like the 1998 Chrysler
Concorde's J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS) rating.
