Tristan Murphy, General Motors’ interior design manager for the 2020 Corvette, accepts the 2020 Wards 10 Best Interiors trophy.
There’s no doubt that Corvette interior quality has always been a bone of contention with owners and the automotive media. Horrible fit and finish, squeaks and rattles, a sea of plastic and overall cheap quality have been just a few of the criticisms automotive journalists have complained about for years.
That all started to change in the last few years of the C6 Corvette generation when GM’s interior designers started to introduce suede accents, better seats and better fit and finish.
With the introduction of the C7 Corvette generation in 2014, GM finally started to answer the cry for better quality. We saw a whole new interior design with much better materials and quality than we had ever seen in the Corvette.
At the 2013 North American International Auto Show, I had the opportunity to interview Helen Emsley, GM’s Global Director of Color and Trim. Helen and her team tried to model the C7 Corvette’s interior after Audi, Porsche and Ferrari. While they did come close, and the C7’s interior was a major step up from the C6, it still seemed like it fell short of hitting the mark. Most automotive journalists felt the same and continued to lambast GM for a cheap interior.
However, that didn’t stop Wards Auto from awarding the 2014 Corvette with the 2014 Wards 10 Best Interiors trophy.
GM’s Ed Welburn, Craig Sass and Helen Emsley pose with the new Corvette | Photo: WardsAuto
Fast forward to the all new 2020 Corvette, and GM has finally hit that mark.
The 2020 Corvette’s interior is now a cornucopia of high quality leather, suede, and brushed aluminum accents. Everything from the carpet quality to the buttons and controls are both pleasing to the touch and beautiful to admire.
Personally, I’ve always held Aston Martin interiors to be some of the best in the world. Suffice it to say, GM has finally elevated the Corvette to that level.
Once again, Wards Auto feels the same.
In June of last year, the 2020 Corvette landed on Wards 10 Best Interiors list. They wrote:
A driver lucky enough to climb behind the wheel will determine immediately the groundbreaking achievement of this new Corvette interior: the premium leather-wrapped instrument panel, the tastefully applied carbon-fiber trim, the handsomely configured push-button transmission that saves precious room in the center console and the microsuede used generously on the instrument panel, center console, door trim, steering wheel, headliner and pillar trim.
One of their “jurors”, James Amend was impressed with how GM incorporated all of the different materials:
“There are lots of different materials employed here, which can easily turn into a mish-mash. But GM achieved great harmony between the metal, plastic, carbon fiber and microsuede. Well done,”
The Man Behind the Art
Meet Tristan Murphy, GM’s interior design manager whose team helped develop the innovative design and craftsmanship of the 2020 Corvette.
Below, Tristan accepts Wards 10 Best Interior award and explains how they were able to design a state-of-the-art driver-centric interior for the 2020 Corvette while elevating the overall quality to world class standards:
Congratulations Tristan and great job!!!
Source: Wards Auto
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