[VIDEO] Interview with Craig Sass – Interior Design Manager of the C7 Corvette

While in Detroit for the 1.13.13 reveal and the North American International Auto Show, we talked with Craig Sass who was the Interior Design Manager on the C7 Corvette. Craig and his team were responsible for totally redesigning the interior of the Stingray. To say they were challenged in this task would be an understatement based on the constant criticism of the C6 Corvette’s interior. But now that the 2014 Corvette Stingray has been revealed, the interior design team has earned high praise and respect for taking the interior space of the Stingray to a whole new level.

Much has already been detailed about the new Corvette’s interior, but Craig gives us a first-hand account about how the team started the design with a blank sheet of paper. The three key objectives for the new Corvette’s interior: premium materials, new technology and improved ergonomics.

In our interview with Craig, we talked about the new GT and Competition Seats, how they determined the need to add a grab bar for the passenger on the center console as well as some of the new tech in the car. We also get a great story about how the team did a “consumer clinic” against the interiors of three other sports cars and some of the surprising results.

Once the C7 project was finished, Craig moved over to work on Chevrolet’s Equinox/Terrain SUVs and lead designer Ryan Vaughan has taken his place as Interior Design Manager on the Corvette Stingray.

We first met Craig at the 2011 NCM Bash in Bowling Green where he was showing off the redesigned seats for the 2012 Corvette and at the 2012 Dream Cruise we had a great conversation about his first car, a 1967 Pontiac Lemans. We appreciate the opportunity to talk with him and thank him once more for the great job he and his team did with the Corvette Stingray!

Related:
[VIDEO] Interview with Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter at the 2013 NAIAS
[VIDEO] The 2014 Corvette Stingray Press Conference at the NAIAS
Detroit News: 2014 C7 Corvette Will Hog the Spotlight at Detroit Auto Show