Photo: Kia Pop ‘Jump Seat’
Just when you thought the “jump seat” was dead and gone, Kia Motors redesigned and revived it for its all-electric concept car, the Pop. The two-door city cruiser resembles a cross between the Smart...
View ArticleJohnson Controls to Unveil SD15 Concept Interior
Johnson Controls, one of the world’s leading suppliers of vehicle interiors, is set to debut a seating system at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show that it says will be the standard by 2020. The new...
View ArticleLincoln Introduces 30-Way Power Seats
Over the last few decades, we’ve seen vehicle seats transform from a simple frame / foam / fabric construction to one of the most complex elements in a cabin. In fact, today it’s common to see a single...
View ArticlePeugeot Fractal Features 3D Printed Interior
In addition to a state-of-the-art sewing machine, auto upholstery shops of the future may also be required to own a 3D printer— especially if Peugeot has its way. The French automaker just unveiled its...
View ArticleNissan Says the Future is Digital Upholstery
Imagine if you could change a car’s upholstery whenever you wanted at the touch of a button. That’s exactly what Nissan Motor Company aims to achieve with the interior of its new Teatro for Dayz...
View ArticleVideo: Step Inside Mercedes’ Self-Driving Car
The Mercedes-Benz F015 Luxury in Motion is the crème de la crème of self-driving cars. But until now, all we’ve seen of it are renderings, photographs and a few computer-enhanced videos — which don’t...
View ArticleTesla Motors Reinvents the Sun Visor
Despite all the advancements made in car interiors, the sun visor remains a relic of the past. It was introduced in the 1920’s as an exterior-mounted option, relocated inside the cabin in the 1930’s,...
View ArticleDesign Studio: 1956 Ford F100 Door Panel
Last year we launched a series of hot rod door panel illustrations in The Hog Ring Design Studio. They were a big hit, with auto upholsterers all over the world using the illustrations to design custom...
View ArticleDesign Studio: 1964-66 Ford Mustang Door Panel
If you’re a big fan of The Hog Ring Design Studio, check out our “door panel series” — which we’re expanding this month with an illustration from one of the most iconic muscle cars of all time: the...
View ArticleBentley Motors Unveils its Self-Driving Car Lounge
We’ve seen how some affordable and luxury automakers envision the interiors of future self-driving cars, but nothing could have prepared us for Bentley Motors‘ take. The super-luxury marquee recently...
View ArticleJaguar is Pioneering Interactive Baseball Stitches
While some automakers are busy experimenting with touch-sensitive fabrics, Jaguar is pushing the boundaries even further by investing in the research and development of interactive stitches — which it...
View ArticleGM Once Experimented with Fashion Tops
In 1961, General Motors sought to differentiate itself from the competition by offering fashionable convertible tops in a variety of patterns, including polka dots, houndstooth and even floral print....
View ArticleDesign Studio: 1967-68 Ford Mustang Door Panel
The Hog Ring Design Studio continues its popular “door panel series” for a third straight month by adding a new illustration to the mix — this time for the 1967-68 Ford Mustang. Like car seats, door...
View ArticleFace Off: Chevrolet Corvette C6 vs C7 Seats
Chevrolet received a ton of complaints about the C6 Corvette’s seats. Thankfully it listened, improving the C7 model’s sport buckets by leaps and bounds. Check out this short video by Car and Driver,...
View ArticlePhoto: ID15 Concept’s Glowing Door Panels
Johnson Controls‘ “ID15” concept interior has been turning heads since its debut at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Although most of the attention has been on the interior’s innovative design, the fabrics...
View ArticleReady or Not, Glowing Fabric is Coming
If you think the glowing fabric in Johnson Controls’ “ID15” interior is just another fruitless concept, think again. Roch de Preneuf, director of business development at EFI Lighting, gave a talk at...
View ArticleAston Martin: Turning Scrap Leather into Art
What’s the most interesting thing you created from scrap material? British automaker Aston Martin recently gave a pile of discarded leather to three of its interior designers and tasked them with...
View ArticleThis Electric Car Has a Soft Fabric Exterior
We’ve seen car exteriors wrapped in everything from leather to velvet and even yarn, but Japanese automaker Rimono Corp.‘s latest electric vehicle is by far the strangest soft-surface automobile we’ve...
View ArticleStep Inside the Rolls-Royce 103EX Concept
Super luxury automaker Rolls-Royce Motor Cars recently dropped jaws with the introduction of its latest and greatest concept car, the 103EX — an all-electric, fully autonomous vehicle unlike anything...
View ArticleIllustrations Help Upholstery Pros Do Better Work
Illustrations are playing an increasingly important role in the work of auto upholstery shops, especially those that specialize in custom interiors. Though not all shops use illustrations, those that...
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