Cadillac Design: How Fashion Influenced XTS Interior
Inspiration comes from fashion and furnishings industries
2013-05-22
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Oshawa, Ontario (Wednesday, May 22, 2013) – The Canadian built, 2013 Cadillac XTS offers the first look at the next generation of interior design for the brand. Yet, designers of the large luxury sedan looked to the fast-paced and often-changing fashion and home furnishings industries for inspiration when conceptualizing the car’s interior finishes.
The cut-and-sew treatment of leather in the interior of the XTS, for example, is one element designers borrowed from fashion. Cadillac studied how the industry chooses leathers for handbags and shoes to design the XTS’s interior in a way that would be an extension of products with which luxury consumers already interact with.
“As automotive designers we can draw parallels, especially from luxury fashion, in the way materials like leather are selected and treated,” said Erin Crossley, a design manager who helped style the XTS’s interior. “We applied small details, such as stitching touches, from fashion to deliver a refined interior with finishes that a customer can appreciate for its attention to detail.”
While automotive interiors do not change with the seasons as in fashion, the use of premium materials is a key component to crafting a durable and chic product.
The XTS Platinum edition features Opus full-leather seats with an exclusive treatment that emits subtle hints of purple through mini-perforated inserts. Opus leather is the highest-quality leather sourced for Cadillac and has a limited finishing and light embossed grain to help maintain a soft feel. A purple stitching around the interior’s trim areas helps bring out the unique finish of the leather-appointed areas. XTS Platinum also has a leather-wrapped steering wheel, front dash, door trim top pad and centre console.
“With the XTS we really looked for soft and supple leathers and used pops of colour to add an element of contrast and drama,” said Crossley. “We used really fine grains in order to see the richness of the natural material and also make sure it feels high end to the touch.”
Since its launch, the XTS has been recognized by several industry experts for its design and performance and just today was presented with a Ward’s 10 Best Interiors award for the 2013 XTS.
Cadillac has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. In recent years, Cadillac has engineered a historic renaissance led by artful engineering and advanced technology. More information on Cadillac can be found at www.cadillac.ca.
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