Aussie GM design studio future assured

The global boss of General Motors design is confident the company’s Australian studio has a guaranteed future after Holden ceases to build cars in Australia and shuts down its local engineering capability in 2017.

The design studio, which employs 140 staff, is one of nine global General Motors studios and performs work for all GM global brands as well as styling local Holden models.

It is also one of only two GM design studios with the capability of building a concept car in-house and senior staff also act as mentors for designers in emerging markets such as China and India.

General Motors announced the 2017 closure of the Elizabeth manufacturing facility that builds the Commodore and Cruze last December, as well as the shutdown of Holden’s significant engineering capability, including the Lang Lang test centre.

But GM also confirmed the design studios would continue on, despite no longer being tied to an engineering or manufacturing capability, which is the more common arrangement in the automotive world.

Ford, which will cease building cars in Australia no later than October 2016, plans to retain both engineering and design facilities here post the closure of its manufacturing sites.

“That [Australian] design team will continue to be very well linked to engineering resources around the world,” GM vice president global design Ed Welburn told motoring.com.au. “Whatever they need they are going to get.

“I don’t see a limit for them... if anything they are doing more now than ever. They are engaged now in projects they never would have been engaged in three years ago.”

Welburn, who is a fan of the Port Melbourne studio’s work, revealed it had recently developed a Buick concept which he described as “the most incredible Buick I have seen in decades.

“I knew those guys were good, but I didn’t realise they were this good,” Welburn said. “They had never taken on something that has the flowing romantic lines that a Buick has and they did it.”

He confirmed the Australians were working predominantly on Chevrolet future models and projects would break cover this year that emphasised the studio’s value to GM.

“They are working on a lot. They are not assigned to Chevrolet, although they are more Chevy than anything else because it is a global brand. I think you will be surprised by a couple of things when we share them with you.

“There are a couple of neat stories we will be able to talk about later in the year about how they took a project and just re-spun it in days. It is just so totally cool and when you see that story you will understand why General Motors must have that studio in Australia.

“That will say it all.”

Welburn said the future of the Australian design studio was never in serious doubt or even heavily debated within GM’s global leadership team.

“I never had a long conversation with anyone about that. I just told them they are an incredible, vital, piece of the puzzle of global design, showed them a couple of pieces and design, and that was it.”

Welburn said there were no plans to change the size of the facility in terms of staff, but he did concede the studio location would probably be shifted as Holden downsizes its real estate needs.

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