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TOKYO DESIGN WEEK 2012
BEIJING DESIGN WEEK 2012
Like Ralph Gilles, Bryan Nesbitt is an industrial designer who scaled corporate America's ladder to reach that lofty executive level. The Art Center grad, who designed Chrysler's PT Cruiser and the Chevy HHR, is GM's head of design in North America, and GM has just announced that Nesbitt is going to Shanghai with a new job title: Vice President of GM International Design.
Interestingly, the Times reports that
...When [Nesbitt] arrives in Shanghai, a top priority will be to tap in to local design talent."I'm interested in finding out what is happening in the Chinese design community and finding out the caliber of design education," he said, adding that he also planned to closely examine trends in Chinese industrial design outside of the automotive realm.
We find it encouraging that an American corporate giant is having an ID'er, not a marketer or engineering guy, examine another culture's design trends with the hopes of incorporating local and relevant talent into the company's stable. It will also be interesting to see what a China-specific car designed by GM would look like, not to mention other non-car vehicles that the company may branch out into. The Times article goes on to point out that
One of his roles, Mr. Nesbitt said, would be to present G.M. as a mobility company, not just a car company. G.M.'s display at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo of its futuristic, networked E-NV pods attracted a lot of attention. Such systems may have a future in China, he said.
Comments
GM sold more cars in China than in USA in 2010.
GM has been in China a long time. Should have been doing this years ago.
Kind of ironic that GM was bailed out... so they could sell cars in China....
Good idea but should did it years ago. China designer are often taking inspiration through US designed car and engines.
Hope this collab' will make China designs and references in the front of the scene to show us what chinese concept-teams can pull off.
@Duane, same thing happening with Ford. They've released a number of models in the UK and abroad that came here only after several years - still can't get a Ford Focus RS here in full trim. We footed the bill to save them and now not only don't get the jobs, but don't even get the cars.
What happened to American pride? All of this nonsense seems like a scheme developed by CFOs at GM to ultimately allow all manufacturing to move to Chinese facilities to increase personal profits while Americans suffer the the vast consequences of decreased employment opportunity. Globalization is a complete scam created by corporate executives. The global economy is hardly global at all -- the current trade deficit is proof of this. It's been a one-way, outward flow of US capital; and a one-way, inward flow of poorly-produced Chinese junk for the past several decades. Even the notion of globalization under the constructs of today's society is completely unrealistic and quite naive.
@Nick: Just a friendly reminder that Ford didn't take any bailout money. All of that went to GM and Chrysler.
That said, I've been wanted the RS or even the ST over here for years as well. Happily, Ford is really doing a great job with almost all of their new vehicle designs, and the newly redesigned Focus is slated to have the ST version here in the states sometime next year.