January
11
First woman Chief Designer of cars in the world
WHO IS THIS WOMAN?
Responsible for future GM Advanced Studio in China Wulin Gaowa be the first woman to assume the leadership of a design emblematic of manufacturers in the world.
Before being chosen by GM in 2011, passed by DaimlerChrysler Gaowa (junction between the parent company of Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler manufacturer) in 2000 by Italian studio Italdesign Giugiaro and, in 2010, was appointed to one of the 10 best young designers in China.
It is not any special date calendar of ancient civilizations, but when GM will unveil its new design center in Shanghai, China. Called the Advanced Studio (Studio Advanced English), it is a kind of central to design cars for the Asian country and other key markets.
Want more a new thing? The studio will be located not only on Chinese soil, but will head a local designer called Wulin Gaowa, the first woman to command a company's design center and probably the first woman in charge of any automotive design center in planet.
General Motors symbolizes, historically, the vision about the U.S. car manufacturing. It explains the estrangement occurred when the company was forced to change direction, creating smaller cars such as Chevrolet Cruze sedan or the recent Sonic (hatch and sedan). For two new steps will be taken at once in July 2012.
NEW TIMES
More than simple motivation ecological, economic or the desire to counter the tradition and the U.S. taste for big vehicles and powerful engines, the increasingly strengthened interest in the company's solutions and choices typical of emerging markets comes from the obvious association that smaller cars consume less and emit fewer pollutants. And small cars are the specialty of emerging countries.
Countries like Brazil, India and especially China, are no longer a gamble for the future to become reality. Added to this the decline in economic pace of developed countries and the need for more economical models, and we have the perfect justification to invest in products more suited to the tastes of consumers in these markets increasingly less peripheral.
To Gaowa Wulin, the choice of China to host this center is natural, since this is GM's largest market outside the United States - in fact, China is the largest automotive market today. "Here we can make cars in China, with China and for China," said the designer.
ASIA TO THE WORLD
When asked if cars would be designed in China accepted the rest of the world, Gaowa cited the case of the Buick LaCrosse, which had its interior designed by Chinese. "While we respect the identity and brand proposition, we will not have trouble projecting to the world cars," he said.
The Chinese influence within GM's plans grow just as the company plans a major renovation in your car now, the Cruze sedan, created in co-authored by Koreans and Germans in 2008. Because it is a global vehicle, it was natural that the sedan received a higher dose of Asian traits in his facelift, scheduled for mid-year.
Drawing of the redesign of the bestselling Cross refers to the East: a sign of the times?
Indian Autos Blog The site recently released images of what would be the new face of the Cruze. The grid became more straight and hexagonal shape. Since the headlights are more angled lines and looks more aggressive, same prescription adopted in the niches for fog lights. No word yet on where it is being made the new design of the Cruze.
But the new features, seen in the image above, typically oriental, plus the fact that China is the flavor of the month for the U.S. company (and not just for her, let's be fair) may give a clue about the future of the car that saved the company.
Source: UOL Cars
