Abstract
Keywords: Textiles, vehicle interiors, tactile perception, perceived quality, customer viewpoint
Abstract:
The cabin interiors in the automotive domain show in Europe an evolution: while in the first period (1900-1935) the cabin has been very important and luxurious, after the WWII the importance of the interiors has strongly decreased because of the need to reduce the cost of the automobiles and to promote their diffusion. Now the cabin and the interiors are becoming once more important requiring a significant innovation effort.
Actually, the customers indicate the interiors quality, intended as aesthetic and comfort, as one of the most important "performance" of the car.
The paper concerns the experience made by the Centro Ricerche Fiat in order to develop a specific methodology able to evaluate the tactile perception of innovative textiles for car interiors from the customers viewpoint. This activity has been carried out in close cooperation with Nylstar, that provided innovative textiles for interiors to compare with the conventional ones, in subjective analysis on equipped demonstrator vehicle.