2009-06-18

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Spotlight

Sharp Storage Solutions: Figuring out where to put those necessities

So do people actually put gloves in their glove box?

That was one of many questions a team of Opel interior designers, engineers and quality experts asked more than 400 potential customers as they researched what people stored in their car and where they put all those things.

The result: The next generation Astra has clever storage solutions unparalleled in the compact class. Indeed, some are even being patented. The team of 15 worked nearly three years on the challenge. First, using the survey, they compiled a list of the 20 most common items Europeans store in their cars: pens, coins, a flashlight, a road atlas, sunglasses, a parking disc, a wallet, paper tissues, a mobile phone, CDs, sweets, cups, books, magazines, newspapers, fruit, a first aid kit, a jacket and 1.5/1.0/0.5-liter drinks bottles. And, of course, gloves.

Next, they noted where owners want to keep the items and looked for practical solutions. This is logical – no driver wants to have an urgently needed map lying in the trunk – but it was also a new way of tackling the problem. Traditionally, car companies simply focused on storage size, and that led to such iritating problems of CDs being stored in the center console, but the arm rest couldn’t be closed.

Finally, the Opel storage team worked to optimize usability and accessibility - in a word, flexibility – for all available space in the cabin. Max Kuncl, performance integration manager, likened it to a puzzle: “It was important for the team not only to find places for the items to fit, but the interior of the new Astra had to still look great and the solutions had to be executed to the high quality standards Opel insist upon.” 

The solutions in the next generation Astra are often deviously simple: A hard-shelled sunglass case has been inserted above the doorway on the driver side. Coin slots and pen holder spots are carved into the inside edge of the glove box. The glove box itself has two removable compartments, making it more practical. A mini-glove box on the driver side, just below the light switch, has been added.

Other new storage ideas are simply clever: The center console accommodates up to nine CD cases, plus a small storage bin and an insert for two cup-holders, which is detachable in some trim levels. In addition, that center console space has a false floor – to, perhaps, hide some coins for a toll booth. A drawer can be added under the front passenger seat that’s big enough to hold a pair of shoes.

Even storage in the rear has those added touches to make riding pleasurable. There is a 12-volt connection for mp3 players in addition to space for bottles.

The trunk has a tidy indentation on the right side, tailored to fit a traffic triangle and first aid kit. Probably one of the neater tricks the storage team developed is Astra’s patented Flex-Floor, which can be set at different height levels in the trunk, offering further under-floor storage.

And, those gloves? According to the Opel survey, most owners do not keep them in glove box. They usually get thrown in the door’s side pocket, next to the ice scraper.

Contacts:

Vijay Iyer
Tel: +49 (0)6142 7 73864
Mobile: +49 (0)170 339 5900
vijay.iyer[at]de.gm.com

Nathalie Van Impe
Tel.: +49 (0) 6142 -7-66166
nathalie.van.impe[at]de.opel.com

 

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