General Motors Puts Foreign Designers in the Front Seat

April 3, 2007 — -- When you think of America, you probably think of BIG -- big portions, big waistlines, and … big vehicles. General Motors has given us some of the biggest cars around, like the Hummer, the Tahoe, the Chevy truck and the Suburban. But tomorrow morning, America's largest car manufacturer will unveil its newest design vision for the future -- and it's not large at all.

At the New York Auto Show, General Motors will reveal three concept cars … triplets. They aren't identical, nor are they for sale, but they do represent a creative example of how one American car company is thinking about design. It's also a way of sharing what GM wants you to think about. GM wants you to think small.

"I think American, and [I think] big," said Ed Welburn, vice president of GM's global design organization. "Big has been very much a part of America. The highways are wide, the parking lots are quite large, but the interest level is there for a smaller car."

The triplet sizes are similar to those driven for years in places like Europe and Asia. One of the them is called the Chevrolet Trax, a "micro SUV" that combines a sporty look with a smaller frame.

"I think it is time," said Welburn, "especially as people are looking for a … unique offering, to be a very creative, or to at least look at a very creative offering in the small car category."

However, when the time came to conceptualize smaller vehicles, the company that created some iconic American vehicles headed overseas for fresh ideas.

"[It's] a designing team that's in Korea. They understand that market much better than I do," said Welbourne.

"In North America," Welburn continued, "the team has a real understanding of full-size trucks, midsize trucks, sport utilities. …" When it comes to doing small cars, the team in Korea, the team in Germany, the team in Brazil, they all have a really good understanding of doing that size vehicle. [The] team in Korea was the right one to take on this assignment."