Ed Welburn may be stepping down from his position as the global head of GM Design in July, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to sit around and bask in his past successes. Instead, the 65-year old will continue to invest his time in the automotive industry.
Part of Welburn’s plans include launching The Welburn Group consultancy firm, and working with GM to develop the $1 billion update for the Warren Tech Center. He also intends to publish a book, continue working with students, and continue judging Concours d’Elegance classic car competitions.
“I’m not going fishing. I’m not going to sit home watching TV. I have things I want to do. I’m going to be rather busy. The list is long,” Welburn told the Detroit News. “I think people were surprised that I have my plans as well organized as they are for the future,” Welburn states. “But you have to do that. You need a clear vision in anything you do, whether it’s designing a car or planning your life.”
During his chat with the press, Welburn reminisced on his most prized design, the seventh-generation Chevrolet Corvette. “You’ve got the history of that brand; you want to build on that history,” Welburn said. “It needs to be a Corvette and not resemble anything else, and yet it’s got to be new and it’s got to be different.” Other vehicles he’ll always cherish include the Buick Avista (of course) and 2006 Chevrolet Camaro Concept.
Our favorite plan of Welburn’s, though, would be his trip to Rome where he’ll have his C7 Corvette Z06 shipped for one of the coolest road trips we’ve heard of, which involves visiting Le Mans and Goodwood along the way.
Ed Welburn’s shoes are to be filled by Michael Simcoe. This decision was made after a collaborative process between Welburn, CEO Mary Barra, and global product head Mark Reuss.
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