General Motors' Global Design division is making big
changes organizationally. The idea is to align executive appointments to
the benefit of the company's 10 design
offices, which are in the United States, Germany, Korea, China,
Australia, Brazil and India.
Ken Parkinson, executive director of North American exterior design and global
architecture strategy, and also Chevrolet “Brand Champion,” will be executive director of Global Chevrolet and GMC Design.
Mark
Adams, who is the VP of GM Europe
design and “Brand Champion” for Opel/Vauxhall, will relocate to Warren,
Mich., to be executive director of Global Cadillac and Buick Design.
David Lyon, who heads up North American
interiors and global cross-brand design and is the Buick/GMC “Brand
Champion,” will relocate to Russelsheim, Germany, to be VP of the design
program there, with an emphasis on growing the
Opel/Vauxhall brand. Lyon will sit on the leadership team of
Karl-Friedrich Stracke, president, GM Europe and CEO of Opel/Vauxhall.
Poised
to take the top spot in the global design
conning tower is Clay Dean, who is currently the director of North
American Advanced Design and Cadillac “Brand Champion.” In his new role
he will be director of Global Advanced Design,
where he will be lead integrator and coordinator of all Advanced Design
activity around the world, according to GM.
Bryan
Nesbitt, who right now is VP of GMIO (General Motors
International Operations) Design and “Brand Champion” for Wuling and
Baojun, will continue to serve as the lead voice for Design in the GMIO
region and focus on developing and growing the
company’s operations in China and India. Nesbitt will continue to sit on
GMIO President Tim Lee’s leadership team.
Ed
Welburn, who runs the automaker's global design
strategy, said the new structure will further the company's global
platform strategy. General Motors, like Ford, has evolved away from a
traditional paradigm where U.S.-based designers made cars for
the U.S. and designers elsewhere did the same thing for their markets
and the various entities probably didn't spend much time talking to each
other. Now, with a big focus on global efficiencies, you
have vehicles like Ford's Fiesta and Focus and GM's Delta II compact-car
platform cars like Chevy Cruze and Gamma II sub-compact like Chevy
Sonic designed for the world by people in various global
design studios.
“This new structure provides a
foundation to build and grow the design language for each of our brands
moving forward,” said Welburn in a
statement. “It gives our design teams a greater opportunity to create
products and brands that have an emotional connection with our customers
and that continue to move our company
forward.”
The company says the new arrangement will
help unify messaging and looks for each of GM's four brands -- Buick,
Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC; provide for greater
parts sharing across brands; and foster more creativity and provide a
clear, single purpose for each design team member. The company says it
also makes the company's Advanced Design Centers in the
U.S., Germany, Korea, China and Australia more important.
“Strengthening
our Advanced Design organization will allow us to help the company
develop innovative new technologies
and strategies to meet the future transportation needs of the global
marketplace,” Welburn said. “One thing is clear: Success will require a
variety of mobility solutions that are striking
both in their execution and their efficiency.”
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