At the Rattlesnake this evening I got to bump elbows with the rock stars of the GM auto design world, people like Wade Bryant, Design Manager for Concept vehicle interiors (and other cool interior work), Therese Tant, Lead Designer for the new Cadillac Escalade and interior design team member of the hottest concept car at the auto show this year, the GM Volt.
But the real headliner, the lead designer for the Volt is a soft spoken native of Nigeria and ‘94 alumni of CCS, Jelani Aliyu. Jelani was excited and tired at the same time, having just completed a 10 month marathon sprint to bring the Volt to the show floor in time for the auto show.

The marathon started with tough competition amongst 8 designers and their concepts that were developed in 2 short months, with 7 of the 8 scale model concepts reviewed and eliminated.  Jelani’s model was selected to develop for the show.  Then the real work began with less than 8 months until showtime.  His design incorporates many design elements to complement the electric technology driving the car as well as his love of nature and the ergonomics of a vehicle one can enjoy nature in.  In that short time the diverse team took the original scale model to the well detailed series of full scale concept units and frame cutaways that are in the GM area of the show now.

The team that was quickly assembled to work on the Volt all brought unique talents to the project, and shared a contagious enthusiasm for the significance of what they were designing. With Bob Lutz supervising the design selection and the determination to make the show, everyone involved knew this was a project with real significance to GM.

Jelani had lots of compliments to spread around related to the work done at the three design centers that collaborated on the vehicle - from Detroit to California to the U.K. GE plastics were incorporated into the design to reduce weight and provide visibility through the body, Design South Warren fabricated the body panels and it was all assembled in Plymouth in time to make Media week. Therese Tant commented that often tension develops between design and engineering, yet everyone on this team really pulled together and made this something special.
Then, with the centerpiece to the GM display ready for the show, Jeff Mylenek and the design team responsible for the showcase designs at the auto show went to work. Jeff says they like to keep the display branding consistent and provide a backdrop that compliments the vehicles and really lets the design of the car do the talking.

At the unveiling Sunday, many heralded this as the strategic direction that would drive GM forward in the next few years. Judging from the passion, excitement and creative talent that was focused in bringing this car to Detroit, I think they just might be right.

And while Wade was pretty jovial with the positive reviews on the Volt and other vehicles so far at the show, he still couldn’t hide his disappointment that Santa had not delivered the 3D printer he had been hoping for.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 9th, 2007 at 12:14 am and is filed under Art, Design, Dining, Fashion, Media, News, Tech, Trends. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.