Leather Interiors from Eagle Ottawa Bring Fresh Look to 1999 Models
23 December 1998
Leather Interiors from Eagle Ottawa Bring Fresh Look to 1999 Models ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich., Dec. 22 -- Automotive interior styles
and colors are getting more interesting in 1999 as technologies and innovation
help bring new and exciting changes to beige and gray, the color standbys in
automotive upholstery. Data from Eagle Ottawa Leather Co., the world's
leading supplier of automotive leather upholstery, reveal beige and gray
leather outfitted the vast majority of 1998 car interiors. However,
variations like Wheat, Sand and Parchment, and Pewter, Truffle and Graphite
are putting a new face on the old tones.
"Beige and gray are the traditional neutrals," explains Jeffrey Bonello,
manager of worldwide marketing for Eagle Ottawa. "But, as we see in the 1999
models, they're not necessarily the conservative colors of yesteryear
anymore."
Indeed, the emergence of exciting new finishes and textures has helped
transform beige and gray automotive seats from something to sit on to
something to marvel about. Several models featured at the 1999 North American
International Auto Show and others like it will feature metallic finishes,
adding richness and tone. And two very different models at the auto shows
will feature leather with their own unique woven looks -- one imparting
elegance and the other ruggedness.
Based on sales forecasts for the 1999 model year, including sales to date,
Eagle Ottawa predicts color tastes will begin to stray away from beige and
gray in 1999. This is partially due to the growing popularity of the black
and charcoal family -- which the supplier anticipates will appear in 30
percent more models outfitted with leather in 1999 than in 1998 -- as well as
blues and greens, whose appearance should rise 24 percent and 21 percent,
respectively.
Eagle Ottawa attributes the emerging colors and styles to the work of its
studios in Florence, Italy; Newport Beach, Calif.; and Rochester Hills, Mich.,
where the company's designers develop the concepts from which automakers will
choose the upholstery for the interiors of their upcoming models. Eagle
Ottawa's designers unveil their concepts each year to the design studios of
every automaker in North America, Europe and Asia. Each an array of rich hues
and stylized patterns, these presentations influence the look and feel of not
only the leather upholstery on the seats, but all the materials in the car --
even if they are not leather.
"Increased attention to color and design is creating interest and
excitement in automotive interiors," says Bonello. "People crave the new and
different -- and they're getting it."
Founded in 1865, Eagle Ottawa Leather Co. has nine plants worldwide,
including its sales and product development headquarters in Rochester Hills,
Mich. It is the world's leader in automotive leather, supplying the leather
interiors to more than 80 models worldwide, representing 45 percent of the
U.S. market and nearly one-third of the global market. Eagle Ottawa's
business is devoted entirely to leather for the automotive industry, focusing
strongly on application support and research and development, as well
continuing to pioneer environmentally friendly manufacturing.
