How Women's Handbags Influenced the New Chevrolet Aveo's Interior

ZURICH – July 21, 2011: New research by iconic car maker Chevrolet reveals you are what you carry with you all day in your handbag – possibly even making you forget the catch phrase, "you are what you eat"!

A clutch bag may say you're a jet-setter while a tote shows you're ready for anything life throws at you, but a survey of more than 1,500 women around the world by Chevrolet reveals there are six particular items that every woman carries with her.

The once secret contents of a woman's handbag have been incorporated in Chevrolet's new generation of urban city cars thanks to their team of designers. While creating the new Aveo family sedan, Chevrolet designers spent two years interviewing women in China, the U.S.A. and Europe to discover the everyday items that are important to them.

"A woman's bag is proudly displayed on the outside but objects concealed within reveal a more personal story," says Chris Biggs, Chevrolet's Global Vehicle Line Director. "It may look like a silent accessory at a woman's side in happy or intense emotional moments, but its utmost value is in its contents."

Surveys have shown that over a lifetime an average woman will own 111 handbags and buys a new one every three months*.

"Right now check your jacket or bag. You'll find you have a mobile or smartphone, a purse or wallet, a pen, a bottle of water, a lip gloss and a box of mints about your person."

These six items seem common-place, but they give Chris a unique insight into global consumers, creating an inventory used to influence the look and feel of the next generation of Chevy models.

From New York to Zurich to Shanghai, we need these elements close by at all times in our daily lives, and Chevrolet makes this easier by incorporating all sorts of storage possibilities in the all-new Aveo.

Your handbag, our inspiration

When designing any new car, 'urban road testers' from a range of demographic groups are invited to volume confirmation clinics to evaluate new models, spending thousands of hours sitting in vehicles, treating them like their own car at centers in France, Italy, Spain and the U.K.

"Before we let anyone near a car, we ask them what's in their pockets and use the top six items to influence car ergonomics, location of storage space and interior design. Amazingly, no matter whether you are from Beijing, Ohio, or Madrid, this list never changes."

Designers monitor how testers interact with Aveo, putting the stylish passenger cabin through a punishing set of tests – from slamming doors to loading storage pockets, gloveboxes and trunk with every day personal items. Everything from color and seating materials to price is scrutinized. If they like what they see, the car goes into production, if not designs are modified using their feedback.

Aveo's unifying interior

Consumer behavior shows the increasing role technology plays in our daily lives. While there are subtle differences between regions Chevrolet takes into consideration when designing a global car, in essence, we are all creatures of habit.

Briggs adds: "Aveo is a global car but there are market-specific needs we need to meet. In northern Europe, buyers travel with MP3 players or smartphones. To cater for this, Aveo has two gloveboxes, one of which has outlets for USB and auxiliary devices for discreet connectivity of electronic appliances, which can be operated through the steering wheel controls or radio interfaces and Bluetooth functionality.

"In South Korea, people carry virtually no loose change, but demand a slot for a toll or charge cards in the dashboard, while JD Power surveys show the location of cup holders is key to U.S. buyers who also travel with more personal elements."

The interior is designed for quick access and around safety items like airbags, so Aveo customers have maximum flexibility – handling, quality and space – to ensure everything is located in convenient intuitive places.

"A handbag is the last thing on earth you would think inspires car designers, but we've discovered that far from six degrees of separation, you are very much related to your neighbor, boss or a perfect stranger sharing your journey to work through what's in your handbag or pockets," concludes Chris Briggs.