2013 Acadia Comes Armed for an Army of Elbows
Hundreds of engineering hours lead to comfort and flexibility
DETROIT – The designers of the 2013 GMC Acadia crossover SUV had a lot of things to account for in developing a comfy
interior – including as many as 16 pointy, sensitive elbow bones that
would be part of a fully loaded eight-passenger vehicle.
General Motors global human factors engineer Joan Hertely and her
team spent hundreds of hours creating resting places that considered
angles, dimensions and the right materials to achieve maximum comfort.
“The process begins with benchmarking,” said Hertely, who has 12
years of armrest engineering experience. “We look at what works, what
doesn’t, and start compiling criteria for width, length, angle, height,
adjustment options, comfort, reach and overall design. And those factors
consider door handles, cupholders and switch locations.”
Not all armrests can be treated equally, so a crossover that seats up
to eight takes months of planning. The driver’s armrest needs to
accommodate more controls. The front center armrest needs to both slide
and open for storage, and must be level with armrests on the front
doors. The four rear outboard armrests are designed with cupholders,
which need to be positioned to avoid spills. Optional second-row
captain’s chairs have armrests that move with the seatbacks and can be
adjusted up and down, requiring additional design criteria.
“Once a layout is in place after having been evaluated and optimized
over a hundred hours in a stationary buck, further testing continues out
on the road,” said Hertely. “We took countless drives with Acadias,
paying close attention to how each armrest feels on both elbows and
forearms, because people rest their arms differently. And the cupholder
integration was new, so we had to ensure a level of comfort with the
holders in use.”
More new car shoppers are discovering Acadia’s purposeful
engineering. October sales for Acadia were the best for that month since
2007, the model’s first year on the market. And through the first 10
months of 2012, Acadia is on track for its best sales year ever.
“I never thought I would drive anything but a BMW or a
Mercedes-Benz,” said Illona Olayan, an Acadia owner from Jacksonville,
Florida. “But I drove an Acadia and was amazed by the great quality and
craftsmanship. I’d recommend one to any family. It’s fun, functional and
good looking.”
According to auto shopping site Edmunds.com, Acadia “offers a winning
combination of comfort, features, cargo space and performance in a
utility-style package.” The 2012 Acadia won Edmunds’ “Best Retained
Value” award for SUVs between $35,000 and $45,000, as well as a 2012 ALG
Residual Value Award in the full-size utility segment.
Source: [GM Media]
Buick Takes Blogger Design from ‘Pinboard to Dashboard
Interior designer and blogger Michael Wurm Jr. creates design concept for Encore
DETROIT – An interior designer and blogger who owns a bed and breakfast in Pennsylvania was chosen this week by lifestyle editors of major publications to have his Buick Encore “Pinboard to Dashboard” design showcased during the 2013 New York Auto Show.
Michael Wurm Jr., whose site, Inspired by Charm, has nearly 4 million followers on Pinterest, was selected by Buick with nine other influential design, fashion and food bloggers to create pinboards in the first-of-its-kind design program launched in October.
“It’s a blogger’s dream come true. From start to finish, I was checking out what the other participants were doing and I thought everyone had a strong design,” said Wurm. “I had no idea whose design would be selected because you really got to see everyone’s style and I was in love with all of them. I have a totally different perspective of Buick now.”
One of the fastest-growing social media platforms, Pinterest invites users to organize favorite products, designs, and other items on digital “pinboards.”
The goal for the creators was to showcase how the Buick Encore luxury small crossover spoke to their personal style and life passions.
Wurm’s ideas were initially selected as one of the top five most-creative Pinterest inspiration boards based on the response the pinboards generated online and input from the Buick team. Those five boards were then translated into a digital, fashion-inspired Buick Encore Look Book to showcase each blogger’s unique artistic vision for his or her Encore.
A majority of the more than 20 lifestyle editors who voted from publications and outlets such as Lucky, Oprah, Woman’s World, Essence, Uptown, Good Housekeeping, TheHuffington Post and She Knows selected Wurm’s design.
Seventy-one percent of Pinterest’s nearly 25 million users are under the age of 45 and 50 percent are 25-44, an important market for the all-new Encore. To date, the “Pinboard to Dashboard” program has generated more than 17 million unique visitors, followers or users across Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and blogs.
“Knowing the Encore’s target audience spends a great deal of time online, and on Pinterest, we created a social strategy to reach them where they ‘live’,” said Lloyd Biermann, Buick Crossovers marketing manager. “Pinterest and this program help visually explain and reveal the beauty of the Encore from a third-party perspective. We were impressed by the level of creativity and inspiration these bloggers created with their pinboards.”
According to a recent Bizrate Insights study, 70 percent of Pinterest users say they use the site to get shopping inspiration, and 43 percent say they use it to associate with brands/retailers.
Wurm’s site shares his best furniture finds, home decorating tips, craft projects and delectable recipes.
The Buick Encore “Pinboard to Dashboard” program also featured these bloggers:
- Aly Walansky of A Little Aly-tude
- Katie Rodgers of Paper Fashion
- Jessica Sturdy of Bows & Sequins
- Julie Deily of The Little Kitchen
- Shannon Ables of The Simply Luxurious Life
- Julie Thigpen of Belle Maison 23
- Jeanne Chan of Shop Sweet Things
- Susie Anderson of We Are Not Martha
- Maia McDonald of Conundrum
The 2013 Buick Encore five-passenger luxury small crossover is designed and engineered for driver confidence and versatility. Powered by a 1.4L turbocharged engine, it has an EPA-estimated 33 mpg highway fuel economy, with a standard six-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. It features purposeful, intuitive and personalized technologies and connectivity including Intellilink and QuietTuning with Buick’s first use of Bose Active Noise Cancellation.
Source: [GM Media]
