Mr Beyer, why did you decide to collaborate with Rolf Benz?
"The Rolf Benz name stands for excellent seating comfort. Their workmanship is of the highest quality which encompasses even the smallest detail. When we initially exchanged ideas at the furniture fair in Cologne, everyone involved was well aware how exciting things become when the world of home interiors meets automotive interiors.”
How did you at Rolf Benz approach this unusual task, Ms Hermann?
“In the preliminary stages, we attended the car showroom in Geneva to give us an idea of the current individualisation concepts offered by our competitors. Inspired by the future vision of autonomous driving, the general trend in vehicle interiors is shifting away from sporty and technical statements towards a comfortable relaxation area. The Hygge wellness trend is catching on in our cars too. Translating the unmistakeable Rolf Benz look from living rooms to vehicle interiors was an incredibly exciting assignment. It was also extremely challenging.”
What exactly were the sticking points in the project?
“Cars are subject to enormous fluctuations in climate and temperature. There’s also a great deal of light exposure. The materials that are selected have to be able to withstand these extreme conditions in the long term. Quality is essential. On top of that, vehicle interiors involve many components and details: doors, consoles, seats, steering wheel, floor mats and so on. All that has to be defined separately. Apart from the displays and a few switches, we have redesigned each individual surface of the interior. The car seats were especially challenging. We wanted to translate the rather casual style of sofa upholstery to the seats in the Cayenne. We managed to do this really well in the end, thanks to TECHART team’s excellent manual skills.”
How was it with the seats, Mr Ratz?
"One of the greatest challenges was actually working with the woollen material. It was pleasant to touch, warm, incredibly soft and completely different to leather. But with up to 870 g per running metre, it was also really temperamental, impossible to split and had a defined nap. On the one hand, we wanted the seats to be sleek and streamlined to emphasise the vehicle’s sporty components, but we also wanted to bring in an element of casual and homely well-being on the other. The fabric gathers on the side bolsters were the ideal solution for this. We tried out numerous prototype covers before finally obtaining the perfect look."