A Closer Look At New Buick Design Chief Bryan Nesbitt

Buick has come a long way from 2009. And it started with the Buick Enclave crossover, the vehicle Buick says ushered in a new era of design for the brand. Want to know who was behind the Enclave’s design? That would be Bryan Nesbitt, the man who will now lead Buick design globally.

Nesbitt has the pedigree to continue the renaissance started with the Enclave, which has been a smash hit for the tri-shield since its introduction. During his 14 year career at General Motors thus far, Nesbitt has overseen everything from Chevrolet, to Cadillac and even Shanghai-GM’s Wuling and Baojun, according to Automotive News.

But it’s his stint at Opel that makes this move very important. As Opel and Buick (and now Holden) globally align, it will be important to ensure a design language that flows well in North America, Europe, Australia and China.

Speaking of China, Nesbitt will step out of his leadership position in China, where he oversaw Buick successfully. Despite slowing Chinese sales for Buick, the brand is still on target to move 1 million Buicks this year alone, something GM dreams of in the United States.

Admittedly, Buick has gone a tad stale recently here, as we await fresh designs and new model introduction to round out niches the brand sees fit. One of those niches will arrive early next year in form of the 2016 Buick Cascada, and we have a hunch a 2016 Buick Envision for North America will be close behind it.

Furthermore, a Buick flagship, via Avenir, would sit quite well as a halo model in China and the U.S. And we can only hope to see trickle-down design cues from Avenir, as well as an infusion of Opel’s gorgeous new athletic lines.

GM has been bang-on with its new designs as of recent, and we think Ed Welburn, GM Vice President of Global Design, knows exactly what he’s doing with this move.