[Ming]

Australian to lead GM car design in North America
DAVE GUILFORD
Automotive News

DETROIT - Michael Simcoe, an Australian who heads General Motors' Asian design, will lead design of GM's North American cars effective Aug. 1.

It shows GM's increasing effort to move rising designers around the globe to gain an international perspective.

The move is one of three design leadership changes, a GM spokesman said:

Simcoe, 47, will replace Bryan Nesbitt as executive director for unibody vehicles in North America. Simcoe has been executive director for Asia Pacific design since Sept. 1. Simcoe rose in the design ranks of GM's Australian subsidiary, Holden Ltd., becoming design director in 2001. Michael Simcoe led design for the Holden Commodore, Statesman and Monaro. . The 2005 Pontiac GTO is based on the Monaro.

FULL Article Here

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[Ming]

Remember all of the times we said "Why can't we have more GM cars like Holden's?"

....EXCELLENT! :bounce:

Best decision of the year, GM!

 

[IMPALAon20s]

hell yeah!!! throw another shrimp on da barbie!!

 

[Rex Raider]

Big whoop.

None of the Holdens are all that beautiful. They look like late 90s cars. They are not at all cutting edge or even fresh.

 

[SilverZ]

True dat...

 

[Sparta]

YEAH!!!! I love Aussies !

 

[New_Mexico_Sunset_on_Rt66]

uh oh, I'm concerned. <_<

I thing Lutz has set a good tone at GM, hopefully thing will continue along that track. New fresh designs with classic lines.

I agree with Rex. Holden's have NOT impressed me. The latest GTO is based off a Holden. 'Nuff said. <_<

Many of the latest design to come out of GM have impressed me; the SSR, Nomad, G6, Cobalt, Solstice, SS, Velite. If things continue along those "lines" (pun intended) I'll be happy.

<_< <_< <_<

 

[jwvrod]

I think it's great, but it seem that most Americans don't care for that kind of design. <_<

 

[IMPALAon20s]

well, it is true the styling is/was bland on those cars, but what did he do in asia for the last 3 years? wondering what input he had on products there.

 

[paul8488]

they're good bland though. i see them as classic looking, as opposed to just plain old. they look (in pictures anyways) very well executed, with very nice headlights and taillights and grilles, and just right body contours and character lines. small details perhaps, but i'll take holden vanilla over toyota vanilla any day.

 

[ibechip]

Have you seen the interiors on some of those Holdens? They're beautiful! I'm sure Lutz will still have the last say on the design of cars but I think this Aussie design touch will really help with some of GM's bigger cars. From what I can tell from holden's website, they're very good at making large, beautiful, RWD, V8 cars. Hopefully he can get his hands into the Impala redesign or the possible return of the Caprice. I think this is a great move!

 

[3eb]

so what happens to nesbitt? it was supposed to be such a big deal when they hired him because he did the PT cruiser and more recently, the HHR, so what is he doing now? sorry if it says in the article maybe i should read the whole thing...

EDIT

ok nevermind, i see now...

 

[FunkyPig]

Nesbitt is now chief of GM Europe Design. This is far from a demotion in my opinion. Here's an interesting Australian article about Simcoe's posting.
http://www.mellor.net/mellor/enews.nsf/edi...to_enews245.pdf

I think it is a little unfair to call the current Holdens dated, as they are! The current shape debuted in 1997, and got a new nose and backside in 2002. These cars are obviously nearing the end of their cylce. To see what Simcoe can really do, look for the 2006 Zeta Commodore and its derivatives, and the 2006 (as yet unamed) small Daewoo SUV.

 

[bgclarke]

Originally posted by Rex Raider@Jul 6 2004, 03:50 PM
None of the Holdens are all that beautiful.  They look like late 90s cars.  They are not at all cutting edge or even fresh.

But they still look a hell of a lot better than the boring car designs that GM North America is currently offering us.

 

[MCGARRETT]

But he still reports to Ed Welburn who is head of GM Design correct? Not that unusual, Chuck Jordan, one of the former heads of GM Design spent time in Europe before comming over to head GM Design.

 

[Nocturn_Bird]

I like holden as an all around package, but what I really like was the design of GM's newer cars, the Smooth non attentionwhore of the Velite, GTO and solstice, as opposed to the scoop happy TA and the sharp angled holdens.

 

[akumaknight]

thats what made the trans am great though.. when I look at a trans am with the twin nostril scoops, and the lights closed, I equate it with a sleeping beast, waiting to open its eyes and kill whatever is next to it. (but thats just me..) I'm gonna go make a car design and trade mark "The Beast" to it...

 

[atomicshark]

It seems that Australians automotive sense of style is a bit different than ours. I hope that Simcoe adjusts his design aesthetic to our market. I think GM was starting to do well design-wise before this change, for example: Velite, Solstice, Cobalt Coupe SS, STS, XLR, SSR etc. I don't know if GM needed to make this move, I guess we will see.

 

[yoblues]

GM car design needs a shakeup very badly. I am seeing more and more Chrysler 300's on the road and I live in the snow belt. I think Chrysler figured it out. This car is not RETRO although there are retro hints (The 300 style grill and Chopped Merc look from the 50's). It harkens back to a time pre 1975, for lack of a better term I will call, The Classic American Design Era. You can love or hate this car design but it stands out and looks familliar to us. GM led the world in car design once, mabey the Chrysler 300 will be the jolt GM needs to get the imagination going again and the jelly bean same same look will only be a bad memory. Perhaps the process is slowly emerging at GM when you saw the stunning concept designs based on the Kappa platforms at the auto shows. These were bold designs, GM now has to take a chance and take it up to their mainstream cars. Chrysler took a massive design chance with the 300 and it looks like it is going to pay off. GM's car market share is still falling. It's time the GM suits use some bold vision or get some better suits.

 

[39255]

I think its a wize move...