General Motors is marking 10 years of automotive design at its North Hollywood Advanced Design Center, a milestone that honors GM's rich California heritage and celebrates the innovative spirit of the designers who are creating the vehicles of the future.
"GM Design traces its roots back to Hollywood native Harley Earl and California's rich, diverse and eclectic culture, which has inspired some of our greatest designs over the past century," said Ed Welburn, GM's vice president of Global Design. "And since its inception, the North Hollywood Advanced Design Center has continued this tradition and played an integral role in some of our most notable advanced concepts the last decade."
The North Hollywood Advanced Design Center opened its doors in January 2000 in the former home of one of the area's historic landmark bread bakeries. The studio's design team has been led since its opening by studio director Frank Saucedo, and has maintained Earl's legacy through innovative advanced designs that marry the essence of the past and the trends of the future. The automotive industry got the first glimpse of the team's talent in January 2001 with the world debut of the Chevrolet Borrego concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Other highly acclaimed products conceived in the studio include:
- One of GM's EN-V concept vehicles, which made their debut earlier this year at the Shanghai World Expo;
- The GMC Granite Concept, which debuted at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and captured the "Eyes on Design" award for Best Concept Vehicle at the show;
- The Chevrolet SS concept car; and
- The Pontiac Solstice.
"Since opening the North Hollywood Advanced Design Center 10 years ago, our goals have been to provide an alternative voice in design philosophy and serve as an observation post for the company on global design trends from around the world," Saucedo said. "The design center is home to some of our most forward-thinking designers, and this anniversary is the perfect opportunity to recognize their work and talent."
The North Hollywood Design Center includes designers from the United States, England, France, Germany, Finland, Italy, Korea and Iraq. The design center has won the prestigious L.A. Design Challenge three of the last six years, and has worked closely with such acclaimed Hollywood personalities as movie director Michael Bay on the "Transformers" movie series and talk show host Jay Leno on custom creations.
An invitation-only anniversary celebration will be held on the evening of Tuesday, November 16 and will feature some of the North Hollywood Design Center's most-celebrated concepts and production vehicles, including some never before seen by the public. The anniversary celebration will culminate with the global debut of a Cadillac concept vehicle, which will be displayed at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show.
About General Motors Design
The first and largest global automotive OEM design function, General Motors has a network of 10 Design Centers in eight countries around the world. More than 1,500 men and women are responsible for the design development of every GM concept and production car and truck globally. The Design Centers are located in the United States, Germany, England, Korea, China, Australia, Brazil and India, and GM Design employees represent more than 99 percent of all countries across the globe. GM Design is led by Ed Welburn, vice president, Global Design. Welburn is only the sixth Design leader in GM history, and the first to lead all of the company's Global Design Centers.
