Top GM designer Dave Lyon unexpectedly left the automaker on Thursday, just days before he was due to direct design operations for Opel/Vauxhall. Lyon held a broad work portfolio at The General, including the design of the Cadillac XTS interior, the alignment of Opel vehicles with Buick‘s modern design language, as well as a significant role in the interior design of the Chevy Volt. Most recently, Lyon executed methods to fit high-tech infotainment and connectivity systems such as Cadillac CUE, Chevrolet MyLink, and Buick/GMC IntelliLink into the interiors of GM vehicles.
Lyon, 43, holds a bachelor of fine arts degree in transportation design from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. He joined GM in 1990 and headed design operations at GM Asia Pacific from 2004-2007. He was promoted from his most recent position of North American interior design and brand champion for Buick and GMC to vice president of design for GM Europe on June 18 as part of a broader design re-organization — a move that we here at GM Authority found to be a generally positive development. Lyon was expected to begin at his new position at the European design studio on Wednesday, August 1; the reason for his sudden departure is not clear.
The GM Authority Take
Someone must have offered Mr. Lyon a more attractive position… and we’d really like to find out who (or whom).
Comments
Sad to see people like him go and for what more money or a change in scenery? hmm
uuuugh, your comments make no sense. he was being transferred to germany-new scenery-and promoted-more $$$.
Dave lyon is a great designer….This is shocking
Something weird came up after the appointment was announced just over a month ago.
Fired or pushed….
Clearly there are some bizarre corporate politics at play right now, could be he did not want to move to Europe…
I believe he wanted to move to the challenge of Europe – and in fact the position at OPEL/Vauxhall – which is really the top league of automobile design!
However GMs board is still not up to its task as expected by all its shareholders and as sales both domestic and international show is sadly and dramatically failing to meet targets and market expectations!
Really its time for a really critical review of each and every member of the GM board now. Are they performing and meeting targets? If not action within the next 3 months is necessary!
If Mr. Lyons executed the MyLink rollout in the Equinoxes, it is good riddance. He had to have been aware of Chevy’s inability to deliver on basic MyLink hardware let alone software well before the its fall 2011 premier. My Link was much ballyhooed by both GM’s vice-prsident of sales and chief of engineering so I am sure they took much offense especially now that Chevy is taking on class action suits on false advertising of MyLink.