Heritage

This woman is responsible for the iconic Volkswagen GTI's plaid interior

Eileen Falkenberg-Hull
Oct 17, 2019, 11:05 am

Her name may not be familiar to the average customer, but Gunhild Liljequist's plaid design helped Volkswagen reach a new audience in the 1970s.

Photo courtesy of Volkswagen AG

Plaid is nearly as iconic in the Volkswagen enthusiast world as the Light Bus and the Beetle. When it debuted in the 1976 Golf GTI, it was thanks to one woman, one of the company's first female designers, Gunhild Liljequist.

Life wasn't always all horizontal and vertical lines for Liljequist. She was a porcelain painter and chocolatier candy-box designer by trade who made a career change to join Volkswagen's Germany-based Department of Fabrics and Colors in Wolfsburg in 1964. She was 28.

With the first Golf GTI set to come into production, Liljequist was tasked with designing a variety of interior elements of the compact car. Her work primarily focused on paint hues, trims, and interior detailing. At a time when bold patterns in muted colors was commonplace, Liljequist gave the GTI two distinct design elements - a tartan seat pattern and a golf ball-style gear knob.

Gunhild Liljequist Volkswagen Clark Plaid Liljequist sits in the Golf GTI she helped make popular.Photo courtesy of Volkswagen AG

"Black was sporty, but I also wanted color and quality," Liljequist said. "I took a lot of inspiration from my travels around Great Britain and I was always taken by high-quality fabrics with checked patterns … you could say that there is an element of British sportiness in the GTI."

She, unsurprisingly, faced resistance. However, the tartan seat pattern, now known as Clark Plaid, and the new style of the car's shifter knob made it through to production.

Though she's more of a black and white pattern gal, Liljequist dove deep into the color spectrum during her time at Volkswagen. The culture and rapid pace of vehicle evolution allowed Liljequist to experiment with her influence reaching into some of the brand's most iconic paint hues, trims, and interior accents.

Clark Plaid is available in the 2019 Volkswagen Golf GTI Rabbit Edition.Photo courtesy of Volkswagen AG

She also contributed to the 2987 limited edition Etienne Aigner Mk1 Golf Cabrioet, a car that was influenced by women's leather accessories. Liljequist formulated the iridescent pearl color that is on the vehicle's exterior and applied it using a transparent foil.

Liljequist retired in 1991 but her legacy endures. U.S. buyers can currently purchase a 2019 Volkswagen Golf GTI Rabbit Edition, which features Liljequist's Clark Plaid in its seats.

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Name Game

New Volkswagen SUV to be called Taos in specific appeal to American buyers

Volkswagen has chosen a name for its new SUV.

Photo courtesy of Volkswagen AG

The forthcoming new Volkswagen SUV will be called the Taos after the town in New Mexico. The name was chosen to specifically appeal to North American customers, who are the target market for the SUV, which Will slot below the Tiguan in the VW lineup.

“We're thrilled to announce the name for the newest member of the Volkswagen family," said Hein Schafer, Senior Vice President for Product Marketing and Strategy, Volkswagen of America, Inc. "It was important to choose a name that really embodied the nature of the car and the town of Taos, New Mexico was a perfect fit. It's a small city that offers big things—from outdoor adventure to arts and design and great cuisine."

Taos New Mexico Taos, New Mexico is the namesake for a forthcoming Volkswagen model.Photo courtesy of Volkswagen AG

"We are excited that Volkswagen has named their sport utility vehicle after the town of Taos," said Taos Mayor Dan Barrone. "It's a great opportunity for our community to share its rich history and culture alongside Volkswagen with its unique and rich history and culture."

Taos, New Mexico is a thriving small town of 6,000 people. It has a 400-year history and a 1,000-year-old Native American community just a few miles from the center fo town. Artists and skiers flock to the city, which is noted for its stunning landscapes.

Incidentally, Taos was also home to John Muir, an engineer turned mechanic, and author of "How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step-by-Step procedures for the Compleat Idiot." First published in 1969, and illustrated by local artist Peter Aschwanden, this counter-culture guide to Volkswagen repairs quickly developed a popular following. The book, started in Muir's Taos shop, has helped keep countless VW models running, from Beetles and Buses to Type 3 and Type 4 models.

Volkswagen promises that the new Taos “will offer great value, excellent fuel economy, and great packaging, as well as advanced infotainment and driver-assistance features”.

The 2022 Volkswagen Taos will be revealed on October 13.

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New Optio

2021 Chevrolet Silverado gaining GMC’s MultiPro Tailgate under a new name

The Chevrolet Silverado will be offered with a new, multi-way tailgate for the 2021 model year.

Photo courtesy of Chevrolet

Buyers love the GMC Sierra’s MultiPro Tailgate so it was only a matter of time before General Motors brought it over to the Chevrolet Silverado. That time has arrived.

Chevy will introduce the six-way tailgate on the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado at the end of the year. Instead of being known as the MultiPro Tailgate, the feature will be rebranded and called the Multi-Flex Tailgate. Yes, with the hyphen and everything.

The Chevrolet version of the tailgate really isn’t much different than the GMC version. The biggest difference is that it wears bow tie badging.

It’s functionality includes:

  • Primary gate — opens from the key fob, from inside the truck or via a button on the gate.
  • Primary gate load stop — helps prevent items from sliding out of the box.
  • Easy access — the inner gate folds down, allowing a deeper reach into the box.
  • Full-width step — the inner gate folds into a large step for easy access and holds up to 375 pounds.
  • Inner gate load stop — helps prevent second-tier items from sliding out of the box.
  • Inner gate with work surface — when opened, provides a work surface as well as second-tier loading.
It is likely that the Multi-Flex Tailgate will cost a premium when it arrives on dealer lots and it probably won’t be available on all Silverado models. In the video above, Chevrolet shows the tailgate on the Silverado High Country, its highest trim level.
In addition to the tailgate news, Chevrolet has already revealed that it will offer a Realtree Edition of the Silverado 1500 for the 2021 model year. It will feature familiar features and appointments that exemplify the Realtree brand.

The 2021 Chevrolet Silverado is slated to go on sale later this year.

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