GM suffers a fire at its new Advanced Design Centre Damage at the Pasadena facility appears light, but investigation and clean-up are ongoing Karl Smith
Dominic Najafi takes top Cadillac design job The ex-Bentley and JLR designer speaks to Car Design News about trading Leamington Spa for Michigan, and why the Cadillac brand has "enormous potential" Freddie Holmes
Review: Car Design Event highlights Car Design Event returned for its third year with the now familiar mix of design walkarounds, presentations and networking at the Munich Driver’s Club. Car Design News reports… James McLachlan
GM design bosses outline importance of sketching Senior design leaders at General Motors give their take on the role of sketching in modern studios Freddie Holmes
GM’s UK studio reveals first major project: an electric Corvette concept With an all-star team led by Julian Thomson, the Midlands-based design studio has lifted the covers on a blistering new concept Freddie Holmes
Julian Thomson: “We are here to provide another point of view” Julian Thomson, design director of GM Advanced Design Europe, talks recruitment, managing a team of designers and driving growth Car Design News
EyesOn Design Awards 2025: the winners As a proud sponsor of the EyesOn Design awards, Car Design News can reveal the winning cars at this year’s event in Detroit Karl Smith
GM stalwart Michael Simcoe retires; Bryan Nesbitt promoted Michael Simcoe, senior VP of design at General Motors will retire after 42 years at the company with GM’s Bryan Nesbitt to take over Car Design News
Interior Motives: Cadillac Sollei Interior Motives takes a deep dive into the interior of the Cadillac Sollei concept, and speaks with the design team behind it Karl Smith
Highlights from the Los Angeles Auto Show: camping, SUVs and concepts Once again Korean brands anchor the show, but surprises elsewhere on the show floor make it worth a visit Karl Smith
Chevrolet designers go “truck-like” with compact SUV Car Design News took the new 2025 Chevrolet Equinox for a road trip in the deep south to find out how SUV design is evolving in the US market Michael Nash
Michael Simcoe, SVP of GM Global Design, on the Cadillac Celestiq and brand heritage Michael Simcoe, senior vice president, GM Global Design, rolled up to Car Design Dialogues Detroit with the jaw-dropping Cadillac Celestiq in tow. CDN spoke to the designer about what it means for the brand
Cadillac designer takes senior role with Chevrolet A long-time General Motors designer is shifting from the world of luxury to the world of performance Freddie Holmes
Car Design News: Letter from Shanghai Chinese car design is all about speed and technology, right? A visit to Shanghai reveals a more nuanced picture that poses more questions than it answers James McLachlan
Car design round-up: Corvette ZR1, AC Cobra, Karma, Kia, Lancia, Coventry University, Volkswagen Transporter There is a slight American muscle theme to this week’s round-up, with news-in-brief from Chevrolet and AC plus other stories from Kia, Lancia and Coventry University Car Design News
In pictures: 2024 Cadillac SOLLEI Concept A custard-coloured Cadillac was revealed yesterday, showcasing beautiful forms and incredible attention to detail on the interior Car Design News
Inside General Motors’ dream studio General Motors’ massive, state-of-the art structure is a testament to design’s critical role in the company. Car Design News took a VIP tour with Michael Simcoe Laura Burstein
Inside the studio: General Motors, Advanced Design UK Car Design News paid a visit to General Motors Advanced Design UK in Leamington. And while the work itself is shrouded in secrecy, CDN discovered a studio relishing its role as creative friend to the mothership in Michigan James McLachlan
Car design round-up: Italian charm, Brit-lux and Apple Car Design News looks at some of the design stories that may have gone under the radar over the past week. Read on for the latest from Apple, Dodge, Fiat, Infiniti, Jeep and more… Car Design News
GM’s Sharon Gauci on the evolution of Buick The launch of a beautiful concept in 2022, made good the US brand’s promise of ’sculptural beauty. As Buick continues to evolve towards an electric future, Sharon Gauci Buick’s global design director spoke to Car Design News about managing relationships across multiple studios, regional specific design and grilles
Watch: Design legend Ed Welburn on winning the Lifetime Achievement Award Car Design News caught up with General Motors design legend Ed Welburn at the CDN People Awards about winning the Car Design Review Lifetime Achievement Award James McLachlan
Interview: Michael Simcoe, senior VP design, General Motors In an exclusive interview with Car Design News, General Motors senior VP of design Michael Simcoe talks about the role of design within the company, the Warren campus extension, and the complexities of electrification James McLachlan
Corvette E-Ray team discusses interior strategy The storied American sports car celebrates its seventieth anniversary with the most technically advanced and fastest model ever. Car Design News thought it would be a good time to catch up with the Corvette interiors team to learn what is new with the E-Ray interior Karl Smith
Chevrolet retires Camaro — for now, at least A successor is yet to be revealed, but Chevrolet has confirmed it will be calling time on its iconic pony car, the Camaro. We look back at its history and what’s next Karl Smith
Concept Car of the Week: The GM Precept An innovative concept that emerged from an equally progressive government program, the Precept still has much to teach us two decades later
Exclusive interview: design director at GM California Advanced Design Brian Smith Design director at GM California Advanced Design Brian Smith speaks to Car Design News about his new role, design homogeneity, aero design and more James McLachlan
Exclusive: Julian Thomson to head up GM’s new UK-based advanced design studio Former Jaguar Land Rover design director Julian Thomson will head up GM’s advanced design studio based in the UK. Car Design News’ editor James McLachlan spoke to the designer about his new role, the future of EVs, and what kind of talent he is looking for James McLachlan
GM’s Sandy Lipscomb on future vehicle UX design General Motors will soon introduce a new software platform, Ultifi, to enable greater levels of personalisation and a more connected user experience. Car Design News caught up with Sandy Lipscomb, senior manager for GM’s Ultifi design team, to find out more Michael Nash
Chevrolet debuts the 2023 Blazer EV Like the recently reborn Hummer, General Motors has taken another iconic nameplate electric. Car Design News caught up the designers of the new Chevrolet Blazer EV Laura Burstein
Watch: Back to the Future of Interiors Watch this Car Design News livestream featuring General Motors, Group Lotus and Lawrence Technological University as they reflect on changing interiors over the last 20 years and as they look ahead to the next 20. James McLachlan
The expanding universe of the pick-up truck Times, and powertrains, are changing – Karl Smith investigates how the pickup truck is finding itself in the middle of an ever-expanding universe of products Karl Smith
Do these GM concepts signal the return of the personal luxury car? Two futuristic concepts, the Buick Smart Pod and the Cadillac Innerspace Concept recently introduced by General Motors, point to a revival of a classic format Karl Smith
Cadillac shows InnerSpace concept at 2022 CES Cadillac’s InnerSpace concept is a super streamlined autonomous vehicle in which to kick back and watch Netflix Michael Nash
Chevrolet refreshes Silverado and adds hands-free tech A number of design changes and the addition of a ’Super Cruise’ Lidar system are featured on the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado Michael Nash
GM’s new Shanghai studio to play a key role in its electrification plans GM’s newly expanded design studio in Shanghai will likely play a key role in its electrification plans Mark Andrews
GM Advanced Design to construct new California campus A new design facility in California will act as a centre for GM’s development of innovative mobility programmes that sit outside the traditional car sphere Michael Nash
CDN marks International Women’s Day To mark International Women’s Day, Car Design News celebrates influential women car designers past and present James McLachlan
Interior Motives Autumn 2020 Digital Edition Check out the autumn digital edition of Interior Motives, featuring in-depth interior design trends, interviews, sketches and galleries featuring Rolls-Royce Ghost, Volkswagen ID.4, Jeep Grand Wagoneer, Buick Elektra and more
Interior Motives Spring 2020 Digital Edition Check out the spring digital edition of Interior Motives, featuring in-depth interior design trends, interviews, sketches and galleries featuring Lexus, GMC, BMW, GAC and more
2021 GMC Yukon Denali - interior story What is quintessential American luxury? The Denali interior is a good place to start Laura Burstein
Watch: Geely’s Guy Burgoyne, SAIC’s Shao Jingfeng and Hyundai’s Simon Loasby livestream Senior design leaders from China and Korea discuss the impact lock-down has had on their work and offer practical advice on designing in the post-coronavirus landscape
Seating Trends: Lounge formats and reconfigurable solutions Car designers have been exploring different seating configurations in expectation of self-driving technology Farah Alkhalisi
General Motors and Bollinger introduce new EV platforms EV startup’s new platform now faces growing competition from large OEMs Karl Smith
Concept Car of the Month: Opel Experimental GT (1965) Opel’s small, curvaceous concept dazzled the crowds at Frankfurt in 1965 and paved the way for the production GT Karl Smith
Concept Car of the Month: Opel GT2 (1975) Opel’s crisp and geometric GT2 concept car was Jean-François Venet’s breakthrough project Karl Smith
Concept Car of the week: The Chevrolet Nomads Reviewing GM’s repeated – and repeatedly ill-fated – attempts to appease the oddball enthusiasts with three concept cars, all based on the Chevrolet Nomad Karl Smith
Guangzhou auto show report 2019 CDN walked the floor at Guangzhou to report back from China’s second-biggest auto show of the year Mark Andrews
FCA–PSA fusion: first of the electric shock waves? The merger attempt by FCA and PSA will be complicated but makes economic and operational sense, including for R&D investment. Whether or not it goes ahead, more consolidation is likely as the automotive industry gears up for electrification Daniel Harrison Christopher Ludwig
Interview: Valuing Venucia design with Taiji Toyota Venucia’s deputy managing director talks about the future of Venucia design Mark Andrews
Enovate - interview with Hakan Saracoglu Can Enovate design a difference against other Chinese EV startups? CDN visited the company’s studio in Shanghai to find out… Mark Andrews
Chevrolet launches Corvette C8 Convertible, C8.R First mid-engined Corvette becomes first folding-hardtop Corvette for good measure Michael Gooderham
Designer Interview: Ken Parkinson, GM China “A well-defined process is critical, because the very definition of what the car will be in the future is a wide-open question now” Car Design News
In Memoriam: Luigi Colani (1929-2019) Luigi Colani, industrial designer and design philosopher, has died in Karlsruhe, Germany Karl Smith
Chevrolet unveils the long-awaited, mid-engine Corvette The all-new C8 boasts a radical new design and vastly improved interior materials Laura Burstein
Design interview: Sharon Gauci, GM “In its purest form, design should be a sensory journey of discovery,” says GM’s executive director of industrial design Karl Smith
Randy Rodriguez moves to GM Patac Now based in Shanghai, Rodriguez is helping to build Buick’s new design philosophy Maxine Morland
Sponsored Prefix: Fit at 40 Prototyping and bespoke build specialists Prefix are celebrating an anniversary – here’s how they got there, and where they’re going next Car Design News
Design interview: Larry Erickson, Magna Larry’s impressive career informs both his approach to design and to encouraging the next generation of creatives Car Design News
Magna Global Bold Perspective Award: meet the judging team Students entering Magna’s design competition will have their work judged by a world-class panel boasting production car, motorcycle, custom car and feature-film design expertise Car Design News
Concept Car of the Week: Buick ‘Y’ Job (1938) Designed by the legendary Harley Earl, the Buick Y-Job was the first ever concept car. Car Design News delves into the back story of this landmark car Karl Smith
Concept Car of the Week: Pontiac ‘Ghost Car’ (1939) The transparent Pontiac Ghost Car was unveiled at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York as part of General Motors Futurama exhibit Karl Smith
Concept Car of the Week: Triumph XL90 (1967) In 1976, British marque Triumph proposed a vision of the year 2000, the XL90, which foreshadowed the modern MPV Karl Smith
CCotW: Mustang Mach II (1967) The Ford Mustang Mach II was the mid-engined pony car that might have been Karl Smith
CCotW: Abarth/Bertone 1500 Biposto Coupé (1952) Is this car the first of the famous B.A.T. concepts? Karl Smith
Concept Ute of the Week: Isuzu Como F1 (1991) The Isuzu Como F1 concept combined a car, a truck and a prophecy – with a whole load of horsepower to boot Karl Smith
Concept Car of the Week: Ford Splash & Pontiac Stinger (1989) The end of the 1980s saw the launch of two concept cars for the endless summer – the Ford Splash and Pontiac Stinger. Car Design News takes a look at these overlooked projects Karl Smith
CCotW: Corvette Fancy Free (1958) In the midst of the ‘Mad Men’ era, a unique time and place for women in design Karl Smith
Car Design Review 5: John Cafaro, GM From Car Design Review 5: “There’s a little bit of Corvette in every Chevrolet. Performance DNA resonates globally.” Michael Gooderham
Pixar interviews Tesla at LA Conference The most design-centred conversation at the Future of the Automobile Conference in Los Angeles Karl Smith
CCotW: Mercury XM Turnpike Cruiser (1956) A brave but disastrous attempt to reinvent a staid brand Karl Smith
Geneva 2018: Video – Wayne Cherry accepts our Lifetime Achievement Award The legendary General Motors designer Wayne Cherry in an exclusive video. Be prepared to tear up a little… Car Design News
Geneva 2018: Car Design Awards winners announced The design industry’s most respected awards, Car Design News’ 2017 yearbook and a great evening in Geneva Car Design News
The luxury vehicle of the future is… a pickup truck? An unlikely body style emerges as a strong upmarket player Karl Smith
CCotW: Pontiac Club de Mer (1956) Karl Smith digs back into the history of the astonishing Pontiac Club de Mer, inspired partly by dry-lake speedsters of the time Karl Smith
Concept Car of the Week: GMC Terradyne The Terradyne was General Motors’ turn-of-the-millennium vision of the urbanised future of the truck Karl Smith
Concept of the Week: Oldsmobile Profile (2000) A compact SUV concept from Oldsmobile that looks strikingly contemporary Karl Smith
Design Essay: What Makes an Icon? How does a car transcend mere industrial design… and can it be done on purpose? Aidan Walsh
Concept Cars of the Week: Corvair Sports Cars The humble Chevrolet compact inspired some surprising sports cars Karl Smith
Cadillac Personal Luxury Car Concepts The development of the ‘personal luxury car’ produced some remarkable concepts Karl Smith
Concept Car of the Week: Chrysler 70X (1969) and Cordoba Del Oro (1970) Defining the “Fuselage” Aesthetic for a new decade at Chrysler Karl Smith
Concept Car of the Week: General Motors Bison (1964) The Bison concept by General Motors explored a trucking application for gas-turbine technology Karl Smith
Concept Car of the Week: GM LeSabre (1951) The car that defined auto design in the 1950s in America was the General Motors LeSabre of 1951. Conceived by the flamboyant GM design chief Harley Earl, it was meant to set out the programme for the cars of the new rocket age Karl Smith
Concept Car of the Week: Buick Centurion (1956) The centrepiece of General Motors legendary Motorama shows, the Buick Centurion was the combined talent of Harley Earl and Charles ‘Chuck’ Jordan Karl Smith
Concept Car of the Week: Chrysler ecoVoyager (2008) Not quite the future of the luxury car, but an interesting experimental monospace Karl Smith
Design interviews: interrogating BMW’s top team Car Design News quizzed BMW’s executives on the brand’s future (and its wheelchair) Karl Smith
Concept Car of the Week: Cadillac N.A.R.T. (1970) A racing team’s redesigned Eldorado, by Zagato Karl Smith
Concept Car of the Week: General Motors Firebird IV/Buick Century Cruiser (1964/1969) General Motors' Firebird IV concept promised a future where cars drove themselves Karl Smith
Concept Car of the Week Geneva special: Corvair Testudo (1963) The Corvair Testudo is a fabulous mixture of slightly misplaced American ingenuity and bravely outrageous Italian style Karl Smith
Concept Car of the Week: Vauxhall Equus (1978) Wayne Cherry’s favourite car: “the most uncompromised design I’ve ever worked on” Karl Smith
‘Don’t call it retirement’ – Ed Welburn on life after GM’s top design job Q&A with the outgoing vice president of design at General Motors Guy Bird
Concept Car of the Week: Bertone Saab Novanta (2002) Italian firm’s 90th birthday present to itself, via Sweden Karl Smith
Coventry University brings designers together to discuss future mobility A recent debate assessed the next big steps to form the history of the automobile Lem Bingley
Concept Car of the Week: Suzuki Mobile Terrace (2003) The anti-car mobile room that continues to appeal Karl Smith
Concept Car of the Week: Jaguar Kensington (1990) The Kensington was Giugiaro’s vision for a modern Jaguar that made production a decade later and half a world away Karl Smith
The Designers Pt4: Ed Welburn, General Motors An extract from our latest Car Design Review 3 yearbook with GM’s retiring design VP Guy Bird
Why car designers and engineers should solve problems together Nick Gibbs explores how close relationships between design and engineering can help to make better cars Nick Gibbs
Concept Car of the Week: GM Futurliner (1939) The 1938 Buick Y-Job is rightly famous for being the world’s first concept car. But while the Y-Job was being created by Harley Earl and the designers at GM’s newly-named Styling Division, the team was also working on a project much larger in scale: the Futurliner Tom Phillips
College Exhibition: Cleveland Institute of Art 2015 Read on for highlights from the Ohio school’s annual design degree show, with project briefs set by General Motors and FCA Tom Phillips
Pforzheim University Summer Degree Show 2002 August 30, 2002 - Transportation Design students at Germany’s Pforzheim University displayed their work in the school’s summer degree show in mid July, one of the two graduation shows per year.
Winners of the Interior Motives: Student Design Awards 2003 announced Sep 23, 2003 - The winners of the Interior Motives: Student Design Awards 2003 were announced during this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show.
Art Center College of Design summer show 2001 Transportation Design students at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena have recently displayed their work in the school’s summer graduation show, held in August.
The Designers Pt2 – Mark Adams, General Motors Mark Adams, VP of design at GM Europe, talks us through his design philosophy for Europe, and how this will evolve as a host of new products come to market over the next few years. Guy Bird
Design Review: Detroit Show Stands Car Design News first looked in detail at the influence of pavilions and manufacturer stands at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year and how the industry, in general, has been quite slow capitalize on this potentially massive means of communication Dalibor Dimovski
DYPDC Center for Automotive Research & Studies Last year the doors opened to DYPDC Center for Automotive Research and Studies, a new automotive design school. The institution has grown from strength to strength and has achieved considerable success in this short time. Car Design News
Fioravanti expands into China in partnership with Eastone Renowned Italian design house Fioravanti has formed a partnership with Shanghai-based design and engineering consultancy Eastone Car Design News
Car Design of the Year 2009 Winners Car Design News recognized the winners of the 2009 Car Design of the Year Award at last night’s Car Design Night event at La Sip nightclub in Geneva. Car Design News Editor Eric Gallina presented the winning design teams at Aston Martin and General Motors for the most publicly acclaimed production and concept car designs of 2009, as voted by Car Design News readers in an online poll Car Design News
Design Contest: Interior Motives Awards 2011 Shortlisted entries have been announced for the 2011 Interior Motives Student Design Awards Car Design News
Car Design News - GM Interactive Design Competition Winners Announced at NAIAS Car Design News and General Motors today announced the eight winners of their interactive design competition in an awards ceremony on the Cadillac stand at the North American International Auto Show 2012 (NAIAS). Car Design News
Interview: Bob Boniface, Director of Design, GM E-Flex vehicles Bob Boniface, GM’s Director of Design for its E‑Flex architecture, discusses how his team is shaping a new generation of eco‑conscious, plug‑in vehicles through innovative studio-led styling and sustainable engineering Car Design News
Designer Interviews: James Hope, Design Director for Chery Motors James Hope, has an impressive automotive design portfolio, having worked at General Motors, Ford and Johnson Controls. In January he became one of the steady stream of Western car designers heading East by joining Chery Motors, the Chinese state-owned automaker, as its new Design Director Xie Guoqing
