Earlier this week, we explored the topic of the desirability of GM cars, specifically as it relates to brand image and design. Since we’re on that subject, we feel compelled to bring to light the fact that an ex-GM designer, Franz Von Holzhausen, is responsible for designing all current Tesla vehicles.
Prior to his work at Tesla, Von Holzhausen had a brief stint at Mazda. Prior to that, perhaps the most well-known elements of his work at GM were the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky roadsters. The designer penned both models under Bob Lutz, who spearheaded the project in an effort to reinvigorate the Pontiac and Saturn brands. The Solstice became an instant hit, tallying 7,000 orders in the first 10 days of availability, and 6,000 more orders before winter. GM even had to apologize to customers for delivery delays.
Pontiac Solstice Coupe
Was the Solstice desired because of its capable Kappa platform that gave it a fun-to-drive character, its convertible two-seater configuration, or its turbocharged 2.0-liter engine? Perhaps. Or was it wanted because it looked sexy, and resembled nothing else on the road at the time? We’ll go with option B.
As it so happens, one of the primary convictions behind Lutz’ leadership was making desirable vehicles, while not letting so-called bean counters – those who try to optimize the business for ultimate profitability – dictate product. Lutz’ style also involved letting creative ideas and solutions flourish. At the time, the Solstice and Sky were, without a doubt, risky models to bring to market, but they payed off: not only did the roadsters sell, but they also improved the respective images of the Pontiac and Saturn brands. Unfortunately, both cars were too little too late to save GM, Pontiac, and Saturn. Bankruptcy ensued, and both brands were sent to the automotive graveyard. But the origin and creative energy associated with creating both models made them special, and would have done wonders if the same principles in creativity, ideation, and calculated risk-taking could have been applied to other GM products.
Saturn Sky Redline
Meanwhile, Von Hollzhausen’s designs are a significant contributor to the desirability of Tesla vehicles, both amongst consumers and investors alike. Hence, we would argue that – had every GM product originated with a strong focus on design – where stylists would have more freedom on setting brand identity – the automaker’s current lineup would be significantly more desirable as a whole.
The Von Hollzhausen story is a classic example of letting design be the lifeblood of a carmaker, a movement currently observable not only at Tesla, but also at Kia (Peter Schreyer), Jaguar (Ian Callum) and Infiniti (Karim Habib). It’s also a classic tale of a huge organization like GM not being able to utilize talent to its fullest potential, or – for that matter – retain it – something Tesla seems to have figured out how to do.
Bottom line: if GM wants to once again seduce the hearts of consumers all over the world, it’ll need to look back at its past – when designers, not bean counters, were the ones responsible for enforcing brand identity.
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Comments
I think you can leave the bean counters out here. It is more the leadership at a GM design just making poor choices.
The Solstice was built on a shoestring budget and it did affect the looks. Now it did affect the ergonomics as they had to use so many parts bin parts.
It cost no more to make a good looking car but it does take an end to produce it. It does take the right eye and choices.
Sad to say it but many cars you don’t like cost a lot to design it is more of poor management vs accountants.
The bean counter element comes to matter when considering the vehicle development process as a whole.
Specifically, there are now fewer designers at GM working on the same amount of projects as before, and also doing so at a faster rate. As such, the allotted time they can spend per project is reduced because of these two factors, ultimately making design worse off as a whole.
So yes, it does not cost any more or less to make a good-looking or bad-looking car… but that is only true ONLY if everything else is the same/constant. Yet thanks to the massive focus on lean operations at GM, things are NOT constant. When a designer and the creative process is rushed, that doesn’t spell out a recipe for success.
Every time I saw the Sky the only thing I could think of is ‘Why isn’t this a Chevrolet Monza’? Why a Saturn? It made no sense to me. That would have been an instant classic.
Agreed 100%
Mind Boggling. My neighbor has a Yellow one and it’s a great car he loves it, this is how GM does a disservice to it’s customers. So he has to take it to the local Chevy Dealer for service. Can someone explain this to me. I wish GM could get it together. The made some of the greatest cars in history.
I am personally a fan of Tesla Cars. I truly believe they are the roadmap of the Future for all of the Legacy Auto Makers that survive the shift to EV’s. But I have to be honest and say Fronz went way too conservative with the Model Y.
It is way too similar in the front to the Model 3. Could have utilized different Headlights at the least. Sides and rear are fine though.
Also have to be a little critical of Tesla utilizing the same Interior as the Model 3. I understand that Tesla is a very small Automaker and I gave them a Pass for the Model S and X interiors being the same but in my opinion the Model Y will be their biggest Volume car to date and they should have differentiated it from the Model 3. If I am critical of GM I have to be fair and criticize other Auto Makers for cutting Corners as well.
Side Note: I cannot wait to see what Tesla’s take on a Pickup Truck will be.
since the y came out, there has been absolutely no mention how many people put down $2500 for a reservation.
i’d bet they are just about non-existent. supply will not be a problem.
That is a good Question. I do not believe Tesla has announced any Pre-Order stats as of yet. They have not announced where the Model Y will be built either. If The Tesla Model 3 is as hot as it is right now (being a Sedan) I do not think they will have an issue selling them. I have three friends that have Pre Orderd one and I think four or more that have a Model S/3/X as of right now. If you drive one you will not be able to purchase anything else going forward. Yes they have their flaws but lets not act like GM is making Bulletproof vehicles either. My GM lease will be up a little after the Model Y is allegedly coming out and I will get the Y or the 3. Have not decided yet as I have not seen if it will be worth it for me to spend the extra 5K or so for the Y as opposed to the 3.
I think I want to purchase instead of lease this time around.
Too bad Cadillac will be nowhere to be seen in the EV world by the time the Model Y comes out. But I bet GM will announce that the upcoming EV will be like $100,000. Who knows.
w/o the 7500 federal tax credit + state, i think any EV is a tough sell.
Tesla will no longer be an independent company within a year. Sooner if the stock collapse continues.
Tesla sure has a lot of Mazda in the design and the Y is basically a 3 with a taller roof.
I’m not sure the blame of the 2019 Camaro styling refresh or the awful front end design on the 2020 Silverado HD can be put on the ‘bean counters’. It costs the same to make a great looking vehicle as it does a crappy looking vehicle.
I really wish they would do a Retro Camaro from the 1970 to 1973 style. That car was beautiful and felt like a sports car from that time. I had a 1973 and loved that car.
They did. Instead of calling it a Chevrolet Camaro they called it a Buick Avista and never did anything with it. Oh what could have been…
If you note the stark designs started in the amount of time it would take after Ed Welborn left.
The new head of design I bet most of you could not even name with out google is who is behind the present models.
Many great works of art were done by starving artist. The designs are a decision on shape not cost.
GM needs to make a change in personnel not a change in spending.
GM is spending a ton on these designs but they are not getting any value from them.
I blame Ed for most of the flat designs we see today. I’m glad he has been replaced as he peaked a while ago.
If you’d visited Ed Welburn at the Tech Center, and saw the concept vehicles, models, and drawings of the work he – and GM design – were capable of, you wouldn’t say that.
Some pretty amazing stuff that never made it past the ‘approval process’ – he wasn’t a boat-rocker, though – which is probably why he survived 25+ years.
I’d look to Dr Aztek (Reuss) for not being able to get the special stuff through, or dumbing-down the best ideas.
The Tesla line is a different thing.
The S is nice non offensive car. It came out well done but has some issues.
The design has gotten stale, the new nose did nothing for it. The Door handles were cool but have been too complicated and warranty issues.
The X was a mistake from the start. Too complicated with the doors and created issues not worth the advantage. The glass wrapped into the roof can get warm. I have experienced it and the owner confessed he wished he has some way to close it off.
The 3 looks just down right silly. No back on the car. It looks like something from a Twilight Zone episode. The roof I’d bulbous and just look out of proportion.
The Y making a 3 taller is not going to fix what is wrong. Nor will it bring the needed money Tesla needs.
As for the truck odds are not good seeing it soon or at all.
The truth is the best selling models today are CUV models. The two box design is difficult to make sport or stylish. Even Lamborghini and Porsche have failed to make their a design of passion.
The Blazer is special in styling but is a let down inside. A better use of colors would do much even if they touched nothing else.
Wellborn used multi colors to set some interiors off. My SS has Red and Black inside that took a cheap interior and gave it much more appeal. GM has just gotten stuck on Jet Black interiors that makes some of the worse showing of the materials.
Then take the wood in the GMC line. My Acadia has real wood but it looks fake. My truck looks like pure plastic.
Agreed on GM interiors. It is too bad as exterior design wise GM is pretty good in my opinion.
Also agree Tesla needs an updated interior on S Model or a brand new one altogether.
But the Model 3 is just right. Go Test drive it and trust me you will order one on the Spot if you need a car or your lease is up. I have to wait a year or so.
I believe Tesla will sell a ton of Model Y cars and make Bank on them as well. Everyone forgets that China is 45% of the whole EV market as their Government is leading (Which is just a crazy thing to type) and Tesla is about half of the way done with the Gigafactory over there. Tesla will be huuuuuuuge in China. People are waiting for them. Once they build them there then they will not have Tariffs associated with selling there. Sales will then skyrocket.
Now as far as the Pickup Truck is concerned, Musk has stated the Design has been done and approved and we will see it by end of the year.
As for Tesla here is the problem.
Approval for designs is not a problem. The problem is capital to bring the new product has been slow and underperforming. Even as well as the 3 has done they needed more out of it to fund th e future products into production.
The capital from the S is down and it supplied the most. The X underperformed in Capital to where they had to presell the 3 years ahead of release. The Y is turning out to just be a talker 3 in hopes to keep cost down and convince people it is a CUV.
As for the truck it is just a drawing. The Semi has vanished.
I don’t believe Tesla will vanish but I at some point with a lot of people even smarter than me suspect they will merge or will sell out to another company.
Tesla is a tech company not a production company and it has really hurt them. They have not Trucks or ICE vehicles to fall back on to fund projects like this.
Tesla would be better to b. Like Apple or Intel. Design the systems and let others use them or mfg them. Apple designs phone not MFGs them. Intel makes chips not computers
As for China there has been no love for Tesla so far. These people love Euro cars and Buick. The Porsche will do very well there as the name means much. It will also hurt the S that needs updated as it will be the old maid at the party. Most people driving an S are doing it for image.
I am no where close to ordering an EV yet. In terms of development if you compare them to the Cell Phone we are still in that brick size cell phone level of development. Will next get to the Flip phone level and then as technology get going the smart level.
Once we get batteries that charge as fast as a fill of gas, batteries that do not decline in cold, more charging stations. Right now where most of us live the only charging stations are many miles from where we live, work or travel.
I personally have nothing against EV but I also am like the average auto owner and I am not willing to pay more for one or change my life style to fit one.
Right now for Tesla the key will be to increase the income or they will stagnate. Right now the S already is and I don’t see the 3 sales increasing to the expected levels.
Tesla already cut the aluminum bodies and some of the charging plans. Now they say at their charging stations you will be limited to 80% I’d they are busy. Imagine a gas station saying you only get 3/4 of a tank of gas?
The next problem with all Ev models will be they will be dated fast. As technology gains the cars we have today will be old and not desired in 5 years if we see many breakthroughs. Think of today’s cars as a Iphone 3 in7 years. Even the. Lot hold little interest anymore.
There is a lot of work to do yet and much to still be invested in yet.
We shall see. Short Sellers and Big Oil backed Media have been crying Wolf about Tesla for at least five years now and all Tesla is doing is just growing. The Gigafactory in China will be such a huge asset for Tesla that most Media probably cannot comprehend just how important of a Factory that will be. Some in the Media and obviously Short Sellers are short sighted unfortunately.
The Tesla Semi is far from Dead. There are a lot of Carriers that have Pre Ordered Tesla Semi Trucks and they cannot wait for them.
The Model Y will most likely sell like Hotcakes. Tesla Insiders are stating the S and X will get a whole new Interior within the next six Months.
Tesla just purchased a Battery Company for 300 Million dollars a couple of weeks ago.
The Tesla Model 3 was the Third highest selling vehicle (Not EV but any vehicle) in California. Tesla is on pace to delivery the most cars it has ever produced this upcoming Quarter. Just think how crazy that is. Tesla is selling just one CUV that most people cannot afford, and two Sedans.
The Model S is about 8 years old and there is still no other EV from another Automaker that is better. That is just insane.
Just wait until the Nevada factory is fully complete and the Shanghai one is up and running as well. Tesla might become a Million Unit selling company per year in the next two years and that won’t even include the Semi trucks and all of the Energy products they make in Buffalo, NY
It confuses me why so many are always Buy American no matter what but some of them refuse to support the Most American Car Company in this Country. Makes zero sense.
I pull for Tesla just as much as I do for Ford and Chrysler but I am first and foremost a GM fan. But man is GM making it really hard to keep pulling for them. I mean Tesla is 10 years old and Cadillac has nothing for it. It boggles the mind. And I am not even talking about the pure EV aspect of Tesla, I am talking about the leading Tech Tesla has. They are the leader and they are the smallest Car Company out there. Almost makes zero sense but that is where this Auto Industry is at.
Legacy Auto Makers were just too narrow minded to realize what Tesla meant for Future Vehicles. Nobody took them seriously and they are now paying the price for it. Tesla has now become the Apple of the Car Industry in peoples minds and now the real race has started among the rest to pony up for the so called Google Second Spot.
I was reading a book that had things in it about GM design. What is missing is the strong leader of design,
GM’s best designs were all done under strong leadership. I do not believe we have a strong leader and have not had one since Ed.
Just as when lutz was our product guy he was a strong leader, Mark is just not strong enough. He has done some good thing but nothing great other than the Mid Engine Vette that was started under Lutz and ushered in under Tadge.
I was watching an Autoline show and a Guest said he told Marry Barra to not overlook Tesla and that Giant screen because once people get to view it, drive it, it will become the Norm and it will be what everyone craves. She allegedly blew him off as Tesla is probably a Fad for only a few people that want to make EV statements. Boy oh Boy how wrong she and the GM Team was and Ram basically shoved that down their Throats in a big way.
Tesla is completely changing expectations of consumers. Even if you do not want a Tesla and or an EV, you still will crave the Tech. The more Tesla cars are sold the more people will get to interact with them. They will show their family and friends. All this with zero Ad Spending. All word of mouth. That is when you know you have the Best of something right there.
Tesla interiors, not just the dashes, look really bland in photos. The exteriors aren’t much better. The S is distinctive only because there are so few around here. Jaguar has done the same thing to their sheetmetal.
Agreed about pictures but if you Drive one and see the interior in person they are actually pretty nice. The Model S and X interiors are about 8 years old and are still the leaders in Tech. Tesla Insiders are stating a whole new interior is coming within the next six months for S and X
We shall see.