Corvette Culture - Part III

When I was working on my thesis, Corvette Girl, for graduate school, I decided that I'd like to hear from women who work at General Motors to discuss their involvement with the Corvette. As I started digging around for people to interview, I wondered if there even any women working on the car. Then I realized - this is the 2000's - it's not 1950 any more. I found out that as of January 2007, 22 out of 30 people in the interior design area are women.

Erin Crossely, lead color and trim designer works with the paint, fabric, color, interior, and exterior departments at General Motor to try to make the overall look of the car consistent. To keep on top of her game, her and her staff attend auto, home furnishing, interior design, and fashion shows to learn modern trends. According to Crossely, those industries are ahead of them when it comes to knowing what buyers want. This takes out some of the guess work and gives General Motors the opportunity to offer more choices in the feature line of the car. This is particularly important since the number of females purchasing Corvettes or at the very least, join their guys in their Corvette, is increasing. It's important now more than ever to offer "female-friendly" features, including places to put your purse, more color options, and proper ergonomics.

One woman who attended a focus group conducted by General Motors, indicated that if she is going to get dressed up with nice jewelry and a pretty dress, she wants to arrive at her destination in a nice car. In her mind, getting into a Corvette is like putting on another accessory. And that accessory has to fit properly.

To ensure this, the marketing department works with women, usually consumers, to see what their needs are. One woman was asked to help put on and take off the glass roof panel to make sure it was at a level low enough for women to reach. Another woman with an enormous rock of a diamond ring on her finger, had to test out the handles to make sure the door handle was scooped low enough so that her ring wouldn't scratch the paint job. When the Corvette introduced its C5 (5th generation) body style, the rocker panel was lowered to make it easier for a women to get in and out of the car and to allow her to be a little more modest if she is wearing a dress. Nothing is overlooked - even the knobs on the inside of the Corvette that are used to control interior features are designed in such a way that a woman can still utilize them even if she has long fingernails.

It seems like the Corvette is only going to get more popular with those in the Corvette culture, and even with those who aren't, thanks to the fine women (and men!) who work so hard at General Motors to make the Corvette the great American sports car!