Color and materials are a chief consideration in the creation of new vehicles. Designers are constantly looking for new materials that will improve the user experience and communicate their intent.
Simply put, specifically chosen colors, natural and technical materials and finishes elevate the perceived quality of a space, interacting with a prospective buyer’s senses and often times clenching the deal. It seems only natural then that much attention was spent developing the feel of Ford’s new Mustang.
“We are absolutely relentless in going after the highest execution and the best quality materials,” says Susan Lampinen, Ford group chief designer for color and materials. “We’ve paid a lot of attention to detail in the textures, the material quality, the colors.”
To achieve the ‘authentic/premium’ look Lampinen and her team were after they sought to implement the standard colors of black, gray and white along with a more vibrant color palette of red, green and yellow. The latter colors are more expressive and therefore more in tune with the bold, extroverted nature of the Mustang core buyers. But with the car coming to Europe for the first time it’s also a wise decision to offer more subdued or even individual combinations.
“We have sophisticated colors as well because colors are more personal to people,” says Lampinen, who also cited the authenticity in the aluminum, metals and plated parts used in the interior. These materials are meant to convey the tough, expressive and quality attributes that were part of the design brief.
“It’s not styled, it’s designed,” says interior chief designer Doyle Letson. “Everything we’ve done on this interior’s been thought out — you’re dealing with aluminium, you’re dealing with leather, you’re dealing with vinyl, so it really gave us a great look on this particular interior.”
