1. Field of the Invention
One aspect of the present invention generally relates to a vehicle design architecture, and more specifically, to a vehicle interior design architecture.
2. Background Art
In today's motor vehicle market, the consumer has a multitude of vehicle makes and models to choose from when making a decision to acquire a vehicle. This variety is especially apparent for family passenger vans, otherwise referred to as minivans. Over the last several years, intense competition has divided the market share for this vehicle category between an increasing number of vehicle manufacturers. In order to increase brand recognition as a way to increase revenues and market share, vehicle manufacturers are concentrating more and more resources on designing vehicle architectures to generate memorable and distinguishable vehicle models.
Vehicle architecture design can include the design of the interior and exterior of the vehicle. With respect to minivans, vehicle manufacturers have proposed several vehicle interior design architectures. Commonly, minivan interiors include three rows of seating, i.e., a first row for a driver and a shotgun passenger, a second row, located behind the first row, for passengers, and a third row, located behind the first and second rows, for passengers. According to current proposals, each row of the minivan interior shares a unified design approach.
For example, the 2005 Chrysler Town & Country minivan has a common design approach throughout the interior of the vehicle. FIGS. 1a, 1b, and 1c depict interior views of the 2005 Chrysler Town & Country showing the unified design approach. As can be seen by these figures, each seat back includes a number of design lines which are common to each seat back in the vehicle. More specifically, each seat back contains a pair of vertical parallel lines connected to a perpendicular horizontal line to form a “T” design. Moreover, the fabric used to cover the seat back and seat cushion is the same throughout all three rows of seating. Further, a common color, or slight variation thereof, are used for the seating fabric, the instrument panel, steering wheel, the interior door surfaces, the ceiling, and the vehicle pillars. In sum, the interior of the 2005 Chrysler Town & Country minivan achieves a uniform design approach.
The 2005 Honda Odyssey minivan also includes an interior having a unified design approach. FIGS. 2a and 2b depict interior views of the 2005 Honda Odyssey. The rear surface of each seat back has a handle having the same design and structure. The shape of the head rests is also uniformed throughout, as are the colors selected throughout the interior.
As another example of a minivan having a unified design approach, FIGS. 3a and 3b depict interior views of the 2005 GMC Safari minivan. With reference to these figures, the seat backs have a wavy “T” design wherein two parallel vertical design lines are capped with a generally curved, vertical line. As with the 2005 Chrysler Town & Country and the 2005 Honda Odyssey, the 2005 GMC Safari includes an interior having three rows of seating covered with the same fabric and having the same color. Additionally, the head rests attached to each seat back share a common look, feel, and color throughout the entire vehicle interior. Overall, the design approach retains uniformity throughout all three rows of the vehicle.
Disadvantageously, the uniformed design approach does not tailor design features based on the individuals that typically occupy the different rows of the minivan. For example, in the case of a family minivan, the first row is usually occupied by the parents, while the second and third rows are for children and their friends. In another scenario, the parents may be sitting in the front row while the second row is used by another couple who are friends of the parents. In either situation, the prior art design approaches are not focused on the individuals occupying the different rows.
Although the uniformed design approach may appeal to some consumers, there exists a need in the minivan market for an interior that focuses design features within each row of the passenger compartment. In light of the foregoing, what is needed is a vehicle interior architecture having first, second, and third zones, each having a distinctive design focus. What is also needed is a method of designing a vehicle architecture having first, second, and third zone, each having a distinctive design focus.