Long time lurker, newbie poster. With all the doom and gloom recently I just felt I had to say something positive and give some credit where credit is due, this has been on mind since the three days I spent at the NY Auto Show.

First off, Anne Arsensio and her crew have done miracles for GM interiors; the Lacrosse, G6 and even the Cobalt are head and shoulders above what GM has put out before. The difference is so great; I got out of a G6 and walked into a GP parked 5 feet away and felt embarrassment over the GP dashboard, a car that was designed not long before the G6.

Secondly, I know he has not been on the job long, but it sure looks like Ed Wellburn has already made an impact as evidenced by the clean, modern exteriors, especially the detailing, of the newest GM cars. The G6 is a beautiful car, it turns my head every time I see it on the streets, the Lacrosse is stunning in it’s attention to detail, the new Lucerne looks to be a home run and the new Impala is leaps and bounds better than the current car. It seems Ed has taken the good work he was doing at Oldsmobile and built on that aesthetic. I like it!

Finally, a lot has been said about Bob Lutz, pro and con, but imagine GM without him. I can’t believe it’s not in a better place now than it would have been without him. Think of the Solstice he pushed thru, the GTO he brought over from Holden until a domestic version could be designed and the STS. Now that I’ve seen the STS more often, I think his input has produced a stunning car (overpriced maybe, but that’s another story).

I believe the new Camaro, if it is to come, could not be in better hands than those of the three people I mentioned above (and of course, Scott’s hands as well!).

 

Well said.

 

Nice post!

I especially agree on the interiors.... and the Grand Prix statement.

 

I wonder if anybody here knows what studio Ed Wellburn was in while the last generation F bods were being designed, I’d almost venture to say I see some of his handiwork in that design. The last Camaro especially is one of the few highlights of the Wayne Cherry era.

Also, I believe Brian Nesbitt is still at GM. He, of course, is credited with the design of the PT Cruiser at DC and the HHR at GM. If he is spending time at the studio we think the 5th Gen Camaro will come out of, that may tell us something about how “retro” it may get!

 

He was in the SUV studio when the 2003 Escalade was made. It was his first major project.

 

Last I heard Nesbitt was working somewhere in GM Europe.

Based only on his work with the PT Cruiser and HHR, I'd really rather not have such a blatantly heavy handed retro person working on the next Camaro.

 

Found this on Car Design News, from 2003:

“Currently Executive Director of Design, responsible for body-on-frame vehicles, Ed Wellburn (52) joined GM in 1972 after getting an arts degree from Howard University in Washington DC, spent lots of time at Oldsmobile (the 1987 Aerotech was his, famously designed on a paper napkin), worked on joint venture programs at GM Europe Design, is credited with the Chevrolet Avalanche and the Cadillac Escalade – and most recently with the Chevrolet SSR where ingenious use of common part bins has gone so far as to fetch heater/ventilation controls from Alfa Romeo!”

I think he is also credited with the designs of the Colorado and H2. No mention of the 4th Gen Camaro.

Does anybody here know who is credited with the 4th Gen Camaro’s design? I remember seeing a concept vehicle for the car at the old GM building in New York back when they still had a corporate showroom there, it was stunning.

 

Hmmm... I could have sworn that I read somewhere that John Cafaro (4th Gen Camaro and C5 Corvette designer...) did the Avalanche...

 

This from Autochannel.com:

"John Cafaro. Before joining the Corvette design team, John Cafaro logged many hours designing the Pontiac Fiero and Bonneville and the Chevy Camaro. But his ties to Corvette began much earlier, when, at age eight, he fell in love with Bill Mitchell's Mako Shark concept at the World's Fair in New York. As chief exterior designer and design team leader for the 1997 Corvette, Cafaro said the GTP racecar, the Corvette Indy concept car, and fighter jets influenced him. When the car debuted, his work generated much praise for his ability to blend the Corvette's heritage with a sleek, modern appearance. Since then, he's developed advanced concept vehicles for the 2001 North American International Show, the 2001 Specialty Equipment Manufacturing Association (SEMA) show, and also worked on the Fiero, Trans Am Camaro and C5-R Corvette racing programs. Today he's the director of the full-size truck platform for the H2 HUMMER."

I think he did the 1995 Cavalier and maybe current Impala/Monte?

 

http://www.pickuptruck.com/html/naias/avalanche.html

Link cites John Cafaro as Avalanche's designer....

 

Cafaro did design the '95 Cavalier and the '96 Impala. He was moving to the Impala program as the C5 was rolling out, and he did the Cavi and the C5 at the same time. I also read in C/D that Cafaro did work on the Avalanche.