Interview: GM Vice President for Global Design Ed Welburn

The following is our full interview with General Motors' vice president for global design, Ed Welburn.

There is a lot on the GM stand surrounding Chevrolet, but you had a really exciting Buick yesterday. How much were you involved in the Avenir?

Quite a bit. It's a good question, but I'm always surprised by that question because I'm very involved in absolutely every project we have going on—every single one. I know just about every square inch of the body shape on them.

Holden seemed to take credit last night.

They should. They're one of our studios. We have studios around the world that are part of the whole network. The Holden studio—GM Australia—was responsible for developing the exterior design. The interior was developed in the Buick studio here in Michigan. Then we built the actual, running concept vehicle in Australia.

Why is it a Buick and not a Cadillac?

Why not? It's Buick: a grand brand, a premium brand. The vehicle, in a very big way, reflects the work going on in the Buick studio right now. There are several projects under development now, and this celebrates the form vocabulary, the materials, the finishes, the proportions of a number of cars we're developing right now.

It was unusual and exciting.

We kept it very quiet.

What about the Envision [SUV]? That seems much more toned down.

It's kind of perfectly placed between Enclave and Encore, from a size perspective. Both of those vehicles have done very well in this market. Enclave has done very well in the China market, and Envision has really taken off in that market, as well.

Then you have the Volt. Is it smaller than the current model?

It's essentially the same size, but there's a lot more taper in the nose and in the tail, for aerodynamics. It's a slimmer, trimmer design. On a dimensions sheet, you're not going to see a significant difference at all. Visually, it feels a lot leaner and lighter-weight.

What was your biggest challenge balancing aerodynamic requirements with design?

It's not easy, but as I said earlier today, aerodynamics can be your friend. It does not inhibit great design. At times, it can be challenging, and not easy to deal with some of the requirements—coefficient of drag, reducing the frontal area, in some cases, downforce—but some of the cool creative solutions come out of that effort. After all, it's the one opportunity that a designer has to improve the fuel economy of the vehicle. We're not influencing the powertrain or anything, but aerodynamics is our opportunity. Some very cool things can come out of it. You see some vehicles with a hard vertical edge on the rear bumpers at the corners; that's all for aerodynamics. There's extensive aero work done on Corvettes and Suburbans. Those solutions find their way into everything that we do.

Do you have a favorite design element on the Volt?

I really like the rear. What I really like is the overall design, the overall stance and proportions: the whole gesture that the car has. It has more of a forward thrust in its design, so that's a big deal. I also like the interior. It's really come a long way. It's really grown up, and it's a very attractive design and also much easier to work with, for a customer to use its functions.

It looks a lot more conventional than the first-generation Volt did.

The thing that's funny is that everyone talks about the screen. It really didn't have [that big of] a screen. It's the big faceplate that it had, [which] was white on the first vehicles and also available in gray later on. This is a much more user-friendly interior, with a lot more function than the original one. It looks more premium than the original, as well.

Is it confusing to have the gas tank and charge port on opposite sides?

People figure it out. If you ask the Volt owners, they certainly [did]. Of course, they don't have to use that gas filler that often—some, much less than others. There are also those who think it's for safety, to put them on opposite sides of the car.

In a lot of ways, this Volt seems a lot more toned down than the first one. Was that by design?

It may not be as out there, particularly the interior, as the original, and not as unusual. This is a distinctive design. It's not going to get lost in the crowd. The face is obviously Volt when you see the panels, where grilles normally would be. Our research [says] that this really gets at what customers for this type of vehicle are looking for. They're not looking for a science project.

Can we talk about Cadillac? Will the next SRX look more like a CTS or an Escalade?

You haven't seen it yet? (laughs) I don't want to get into future design. I feel very good about it, but not yet. That would just lead down a path I don't want to go down.

We haven't seen CT6, either, but we hear that it will retain a lot of current, rounder Cadillac styling cues. It almost seems like that GM design was sharper five years ago. Would you agree?

The forms are more sophisticated. The first-generation CTS had the sophistication of this "Reserved" card [on the table]. It had hard edges, very hard planes and surfaces. For the second generation, and into the third generation, we retained the creases but put more shape in the surfaces between them. The creases are still there. I wouldn't call it round. In fact, I would say it is not a round car. It is more sophisticated in its form execution, both in section and in plan view, so it has more shape. It's a far more sophisticated shape which I believe a luxury car has got to have.

And—

—for SRX, why don't we say, it's not going to be as bold and in-your-face as an Escalade, but it's not a car, either.

But you're proud of it?

Definitely proud of it.

What do you see as competitors right now, styling-wise?

They all are. I don't take anyone for granted. There are some things that I don't like that sell very well, and I wonder why. I need to understand that better. There are things that are, frankly, ugly, that sell quite well. I need to understand why that is. I don't take anyone for granted. This is a very competitive industry. Most brands are starting to understand how important design is. Their technologies aren't going to be exclusive forever, so design is very important.

Do you like these coupe-like crossovers?

I like the idea of that. Do I like the execution of them all? Some yes, some no. The idea of that type of vehicle is pretty cool. As the whole SUV market just gets larger and larger, it seems to subdivide into so many categories.

This is a pretty big truck show this year. Do you see room in the future for differentiation between Canyon and Colorado?

There may be room for more, but should there be? What would be right for the market? What would our customers be looking for that would drive greater differentiation? Certainly, from a styling perspective—but [if] you're asking about capability and body type, I don't know.

Big trends in interior materials this year are open-pore wood and dashboard stitching. Will Volt ever pick up on those luxurious features?

It's far more luxurious than the previous generation. There is stitching on some versions, but it is a Chevrolet, and at that price point. With a Chevrolet, [you] get more than what's expected, and a more premium look, but things like open-pore wood is more Cadillac CTS.

Are there any trends outside the automotive world that are influencing your designs?

Certainly with electronics. That's a huge deal. In the fashion industry, how leather is being used is really fascinating, and what they're doing with leather, as well.

You said that people don't want their Volts to be like science projects. Is there room for a science project-like car that people would buy, if designed right?

If you designed it right, yes. I don't know. That would be a challenge.

With gas prices as low as they are, do you wish there were a Hummer brand that could come back?

The Hummer brand is in the past, and I'm focused on the future. Hummer's not a part of our future.

Nothing like Escalade EXT? Do people still talk about that?

No, not really. The question is what we do with full-size Chevy and GMC trucks going forward.

How are you tackling that?

Very aggressively.