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Cars are going to look very different in the coming years.
The wider acceptance of electric powertrains will usher in a new era of car design, perhaps the biggest since the invention of the car itself.
That is the view of Mike Simcoe, the Australian head of global design for General Motors, who discussed the future of car design at this week's 2017 Detroit motor show where the new Chevrolet Bolt EV was one of the stars.
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Simcoe believes the move away from internal combustion engines to electric, fuel cell and autonomous vehicles has the potential to fundamentally change the way designers shape cars. Smaller electric motors and flatter battery packs, which do away with the need for traditional underbody structures will open up areas for designers to play with the look of cars, he says.
"If you think about a platform, battery and a propulsion system that fits inside the diameter of the wheel and you can locate that pretty much anywhere in the vehicle, the rest is pretty much top-hatting the vehicle," Simcoe explained. "You can change proportion, high, low, whatever."
Asked if this would be the biggest change in the history of car design, Simcoe was candid.
"That depends how well we do our job, but potentially yes," he said.
Simcoe rose through the ranks of General Motors from Holden, where he famously created the Commodore Coupe concept that was the catalyst for the revived Monaro, and has worked in senior positions in the US and South Korea, before taking over the top role early in 2016.
His new role means he oversees designs for all General Motors vehicles around the world, as well as setting the future direction for the company.
The potential for major change means he is relishing his new role.
"There's a lot more work being done on the left-hand side of the business, in advanced [design] at that point unbranded, around electrification, autonomous, fuel cell and everything else in the propulsion world that's changing," he said.
"The big deal is that right now it's a great time to be in the business because it's the first major pivot point in the way vehicles have been considered by customers and the industry itself. Legislation is driving it in a lot of cases but we're trying to get ahead of that. Electrification or propulsion systems are located differently in the car, they are different sizes, batteries give you different challenges, new materials, structural changes, so the proportions of the vehicle can change quite a lot. So where we've been locked in for some time the shackles are off."
But with so much change possible how does Simcoe avoid going too far and creating designs customers won't like?
"Our job is to talk to customers and understand what they will and won't like," he explained.
"Not where they want us to go, but there are points of tension and things that give them pleasure and we work with that. Do we know where we're going to be in 20 or 30 years time? No."
9 Comments
Tesla is already there, has been for the past 4 years. Open up the bonnet of a Tesla and you find... boot space. There is no engine bay because they don't need one. The only user-serviceable bit is refilling the window washer bottle. No oil changes, no radiator, no spark plugs, no timing belt, no air filter, no catalytic converter, no exhaust system, the list goes on. GM is just trying to catch up. They may not be able to, Tesla has quite a head start.
.. now all he has to do is design some decent stuff for GM that Holden can use down here!
@Ian Smith. Don't hold your breath for that one! Holden will still exist but somewhere between 4 and 7 in market share based on GM market shares in Europe. Take out Chinese GM sales from their global total and they barely make the Top 5 globally which is a fairly accurate reflection of the quality of their product.
@NewEra The General Motors EV1 was an electric car produced and leased by General Motors from 1996 to 1999. Go and google before embrace Tesla. There are many youtube videos or website will show you how an General Motor EV1 is way better than a top of the range Telsa.
Well based on that image above they still don't have a clue. Keep dreaming Mike.
Shackles? spare me. The only shackles may have been applied my GM management or by lack of imagination. Just look at the dreary flock of GM cars vs other makes. You seriously expect us to believe changing the drivetrain will unless a torrent of class leading creativity? Delusional.
New Era, the world car market is 90 million + a year. Tesla is a spit in the ocean and oh bye the way has yet to deliver a mass market car. Its more likely that Tesla will get overrun by other makers for whatever niche EV's fill for the next few years, and thats if they are on time which they almost never are. But never let reality get in the way of a good story.
Nobody had dared to even talk about electric cars until Elon Musk took the bull by the horns and produced his amazing electric Teslas, yet today, we have these arrogant blustering CEOs strutting about voicing their 'momentous' claims re electric cars as if they knew all the time in what direction the automotive industry was heading. They have plenty to thank Elon for, especially since he made all of his ideas available to theses wannabe car designers.
@opps288: Can you remind me again what GM ended up doing with the EV1 and the electric car industry in the 90's? Not to mention the GM-backed bill to ban Tesla sales in Indiana. GM plays dirty... Their one and only focus is money, while Telsa exists to revolutionise the car industry (hence why they share their patents to other auto makers). That's why people embrace Tesla.