Moms Not Only Drive Kids Around, But Are Designing Cars

As I climbed into my minivan to attend a viewing of the crossover Chevrolet Traverse with other Silicon Valley Moms bloggers, I started to feel the itch... I wondered if it  was possible to haul three kids, other carpool kids, and lots of kids stuff without being in a minivan? 

I see other moms driving non-minivan cars. As they open their doors at school pickup, some even have car floors free of food that has turned into compost (hey, at least I recycle). Before I left, I went to one of my favorite information sources (YouTube) to get a preview, and found a suburban dad and mom that shared their thoughts. When I got to the event, I did not expect that the Engineer and Vehicle Line Director I would be speaking with - would both be moms (one was even a fellow TWINS mom!).

At first we all stood around and talked about the stress of getting our kids with various ages ready and registered for school. We were all just a group of moms sharing stories.

Then I asked to see the car that was sitting behind us. That is when Grace Lieblein, global vehicle chief engineer, and Sue Wilson, vehicle line director,  of GM's family of midsize crossovers showed a different side to all of us.

They provided details about the input they gave on the Chevrolet Traverse features - with families in mind. The car looked like an SUV, but it has three rows and comfortable seating up to eight. The seats are easy to move (I tried them myself - with one hand) so people can climb into the third row. It is easy to lift and fold the seats if needed. The liftgate (trunk) has a one button touch close. Safety features are standard including a spotter mirror to help with the blind spot and a backup camera (would of helped save some innocent toys left in my driveway) . For those with kids who are temperature sensitive, the car has heated and cold seats.

Storage also had the moms touch - there are more then 2 dozen places to store things, the bins are deep, cargo storage under the rear floor and multiple cup holders. There is OnStar, power locks with lockout protection, DVD player that has controls in the front panel, audio system that is MP3 compatible and Bluetooth wireless available to comply with the new handsfree regulations.

Seeing how moms like Grace and Sue can have such a positive impact on car product design had me day dreaming about tracking down computer and software manufacturers to share some of my design hints.

Original Silicon Valley Moms Blog Post. When not dreaming of getting rid of her minivan and revolutionizing computer design, Beth Blecherman is the Co-Founder of the Silicon Valley Moms Group and Founder of Techmamas.com.