DETROIT - When he was a kid, Eric Clough and his friends listened eagerly for the sound of his dad's '65 Corvette coupe as it neared the school for pickup. The three boys crammed into the car and drove away in what was one of many Corvettes that Clough's dad has owned over the years. Needless to say, Clough soon earned a reputation among his friends for being a "car nut."

A few decades later, Clough still has that reputation, not for building cars, but for designing them.

After 20-plus years with GM, the North Andover native is now the director of Cadillac Interior Design. His job is nothing short of redefining how Cadillacs look and, therefore, how they compete with traditional front-runners in the luxury-car class.

"There's a strong focus to bring Cadillac back to where it should be," Clough said. "We're strengthening the characteristics we're known for."

Clough helped Cadillac strengthen those characteristics by designing the 2008 Cadillac CTS. The Detroit News named the next-generation CTS its first pick for Best in Show. They called it a "world-class competitor," putting it on par with the BMW 3-Series and the Lexus IS.

Clough has also been involved with the design of the 2005 Corvette, SRX, XLR and the 1,000-horsepower Cadillac 16 concept car.

Among the characteristics Clough and his colleagues are preserving and emphasizing are Cadillac's shield-shaped grille, vertical taillights and an accentuated center crease.

But Clough's personal accomplishments can be found inside the vehicles, most recently with the CTS. The exterior's trademark center crease is reflected inside the car, maintaining continuity throughout its design.

Clough and his team have also made advances toward greater interior lighting. Thin light pipes along the door and in the foot wells provide extra ambient lighting and create a feeling of extra spaciousness.

Ambient lighting is changing in other ways, too.

"There's an overall industry trend toward larger sunroofs," Clough said.

The sunroof in the CTS is one of the largest in the industry, stretching back to the rear seats for added lighting.

"We're trying to do the most innovative solutions to give an open-air feeling," Clough said.

In an effort to combine luxury with sportiness, Clough also paid special attention to the leather interior. The new CTS uses a stitching method traditionally used in the earliest cars and still used in modern luxury vehicles. The seats are also made thinner for a slicker look and more spacious feeling.

The center console has also been redesigned so that it sits lower and has an adjustable navigation screen.

Clough can't reveal what else Cadillac is developing down the road, but he said he's confident the future will be exciting.

"There's an interior renaissance going on at GM," Clough said. "The revolution is moving at full speed."