GM's Design Team Looks to the Future

July 10, 2009— -- The irony is undeniable. While General Motors Corp. was winding through bankruptcy proceedings this summer, its products were starring in the biggest blockbuster of the season. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" features warrior robots from outer space, turning themselves into -- what else? -- Chevrolets.

For its many critics, GM's promise to rebuild itself from a bankrupt relic into the innovative carmaker of the future is no less fantastical than the transformations on screen.

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If GM succeeds, much of the credit will go to its design team -- artists who must ignore the financial problems of today in order to pave the way for the company's viability tomorrow.

Their boss is GM's vice president of global design Ed Wellburn, who famously sent a letter to GM at the tender age of 8, begging for advice on how to become a designer. Fewer than 20 years later, he started working for GM and he now spearheads its design unit with the same boyish passion.

Located in Warren, Mich., the cryptically named "Studio X," which is the design team's inner sanctum, is modeled after the top-secret workshop of legendary automotive designer Harley Earl, who pioneered industry-changing classics like the Corvette.

While the designs have changed, the extreme secrecy has not. "I've got to tell you, there are very few people who work for General Motors who have ever been in Studio X. I'd say maybe 20 or 30 people over the years," Wellburn said.