GM just announced that Michael Simcoe has been promoted to senior vice president, Global Design. Previously, Simcoe served as vice president, Global Design. Simcoe will assume his new role on January 1st, 2023, and will continue to report to GM President Mark Reuss.
Simcoe holds an Associate Diploma of Art Industrial Design from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Simcoe began his career at GM in 1983 as a designer at Holden, later going on to become director of GM Asia Pacific Design in 1995, and executive director of GM Asia Pacific Design in 2003. In 2004, Simcoe became executive director of North American Exterior Design and contributed to the success of the GMC Terrain, Buick LaCrosse, Chevy Camaro, Chevy Equinox, and Cadillac CTS.
Simcoe has served as head of GM Global Design since 2016, with recent successes spanning a broad variety of segments, including several new and forthcoming GM EVs like the 2022 Buick Wildcat EV concept, Cadillac Celestiq, Cadillac Lyriq, GMC Hummer EV, GMC Sierra EV, Chevy Equinox EV, Chevy Blazer EV, and Chevy Silverado EV. In the ICE-categories, Simcoe contributed to the design of the latest eighth-generation Chevy Corvette C8, the latest fifth-generation Cadillac Escalade, and the new 2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate. Simcoe has also provided guidance on new GM products under the BrightDrop and Cruise brands.
“Under Michael’s leadership the GM design team has delivered winning design after winning design, demonstrating the ability to connect with customers in all vehicle segments, for both internal combustion engine vehicles and electric vehicles,” said GM President Reuss. “GM Design has also played a pivotal role in the expansion of our business, developing concepts that highlight our path to an all-electric, autonomous future and solutions for new business models like BrightDrop and Cruise.”
Simcoe’s promotion further underlines GM’s emphasis on design as it continues to move towards widespread adoption of all-electric vehicles and new autonomous technologies.
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Comments
Impeccable Career… This was succeed… Well… That was my Goal and Objective since my 13 years old, to reach the Design Director Position as a Vehicle Manufacturer. Did Schools, received my Mechanical Engineer Diploma at USP, received my Master Designer Diploma at SPD Milan Italy, entered GMB as CAD Engineer, entered VWB as CAD Engineer, but never was able to be Designer and Professional Dream Full filled. Today Sr, Luiz Inácio da Silva got his 3rd President of Nation and Country Diploms, it means he did not attended an University, everyone can do, but made a greater Achievement, 3 Times President of Brasil, no one did such Fact. I have 1 University Diploma, but never was a President of Something. So Congratulations. When entered GMB in 1995, of course the objective was to be together more than 40 years, but of course in Styling Designs Positions, this was not Possible, so had to Quit Searching someone who could have been me given this opportunity, no one found. AT VWB was not Possible too, neither else
Earning a bunch of degrees does not make you good at anything when you are out in the real world the natural abilities you are born with, and your personality and attitude is what will shape a person’s future. That being said I never went to college at 18 I started as a Corvette mechanic at a Chevy dealer working commission only I made so much money I was able to pay cash for a new Vette in 8 months. Bought a good size house at 20 years old. Kept getting promoted to finally taking the big job as the service manager the youngest in Detroit. I have hired and fired a lot of people in my life. Started at Chevrolet Engineering as a UAW prototype builder moved over to salary and kept getting promoted supervised 8 physical mock-up shops learned computer programs on the job helped develop the virtual builds and supervised that, now retired. This being said I worked with a lot of highly degreed people some dumb some smart the ones that got big promotions had nice easy-going personalities or were connected. A friend of mine had a doctorate of engineering degree and a know it all attitude he could not build or design anything I would not even let him change a license plate on my car. So, bragging about higher education never impressed me just show me what you can do. Simcoe has made great strides, putting the last vice president of design that keeps taking credit for everything to shame in a short period of time.
Glad he’s gone from design, now maybe GM will build some better looking vehicles!
he has not gone from design, in opposite, he is chef of GM design now all over the world
but agree, GM has to find good people, give chances to new guys, until they hit only the same key attitude in hiring process they will continue never find a guy like me… I am still laying daily at sofa and bed seeing all cars and analysing them in 10 h daily base, studied mechanical engineering, master design and had some talent, now I am old with 52, maybe another reason they never find me. Because in their hiring process, you have to be PhD with 3 or 5 years in a design studio, knowing Alias, knowing the future… At Munich I was in front of BMW guys, showed them how impeccable my work was but they preferred slave me, so went away, finally, when continues so, the Products will still have complains
Why do GM cars from the ’30s – ’60s look so much cooler than GM cars from the ’70s – today???
not only GM cars, from 1930 until 1960 indeed cars designers had talent … 1970ies was oil problems era to make them boxy … but personally like much designs from 1980 until 2000 and had many talented designers too. On 2010, due easy way to make surfaces in CAD, alias and icem surf, bodies started too complex and with so much bumps which made them out of form, waving and confusing. Since 2020, it is the imposed Era of EV and said the designers to be kind different, any track you get …
Design is subjective. And desperately needs originality, not similarity. We all have different tastes. And thus prefer different looks. Otherwise we’d end up with hundreds of look-alike SUVs. Oh, wait a minute….never mind.
agree, but a good design, lines must be connected, otherwise does not have correctness
it is a myth that History could teach us a thing or two about. IN the car business, originality needs a bit of a ramp up period. Chrysler nearly bought the farm when they tried the Airflow design on all makes and models in the 30’s, they were superior, but not well received by the average joe.
The only great car design he’s been responsible for was the GTO/Monaro, and even it needed some detail work! Everything else has been contrived and mediocre at best! Even Wayne Cherry’s cartoonish concepts had better proportions and elegance!
Congrats and best wishes. Looking good in the latest Cadillac clips.
Why oh why does the new generation of electric cars lack consideration for ergonomic design? The cosmetic design is fine, but the cabins and seating are designed for small to medium framed skinny humans. With electric efficiencies and a heavy battery load can’t the platform and cabins accommodate human comfort like the great cars of the sixties such as the Buick Electra 225, Oldsmobile 98, Chevrolet Impala, Lincoln Continental, as examples. It seems the Asian carmakers have set the cabin ergonomic standards since they are a small framed and small foot lot. Most white Americans are from medium to large frame European heritages. Also as with black Americans from large framed African heritages and lastly mixed white and black medium to large frame DNA heritages.
Let’s revisit interior ergonomic design of the cabin. Industrial artwork is one thing, human comfort and safety is another. This requires statistical ergonomic engineering not color, texture, and material artistic creativity. All of us don’t want to be confined in bucket seats that hamper wiggle room and butt movement on medium and long drives. As for the space wasting ice chest center consoles in the front seating area these are nothing but an eye candy feature that collect food and beverage wrappings, trinkets and unnecessary items. Let’s revisit with larger, more comfortable cabins like the great cars in GM’s heyday.
Your new Celestiq should be on a full size pickup frame with an interior to accommodate a Charles Barkley or Wilt Chamberlin. Time to consider revisiting larger, traditional cabins for medium and large frame humans. We are not all salad and Tofu eaters. Wonder why crew cab pickups have become such a hot item these days? It’s the cabin room and comfort. I rest my case. Go sit in a 1968 Buick Electra 225. Your new Electra will have a shoebox cabin size and weigh more than a 1968 Buick Electra 225 with a large block gray iron V8 engine with an ocean of trunk room.
Today’s design is heavily restricted by legal rules, development costs, and management caution. Flights of fancy landed for good in the 1960s. It was once a job I wanted, even going to Art Center for awhile.
Now I’m glad I don’t have it.
Chevrolet Design Management: 9-18-24
As a former avid Chevrolet enthusiast and fan, I am disappointed at the current design direction that forces American buyers into either an EV, an SUV, a Crossover, or a pickup truck. There is a segment of consumers that are looking for a sedan large enough to accommodate five passengers is a reliable, and is a quality sedan. Your current products, while acceptable for those that are satisfied with only the choices you provide, will force consumers to go to your competition, the Chinese, the Koreans, or the Japanese in pursuit of a full size sedan.
The only sedan choice, the Malibu, is marginal at best, and does not have enough room, or comfort for full sized adults on a long trip. The last full size sedan, the Impala was a well designed, comfortable, quality vehicle.
Are the design engineers incapable of producing a quality car of this size, that could replace the mediocre, bland, Malibu, at an affordable price, that is profitable for Chevrolet? Does anybody at Chevrolet have the pride, design talent, and drive to keep this segment of the market from slipping away to your competition?