2008 – Ed Welburn talking about the just released Chevy Volt
It had to happen at some point after all Ed Welburn had been with General Motors for forty-four years. He has been preparing us for this moment for a couple of years; talking more and more about the “team” instead of going through the design of the car.
General Motors announced today that the chief gentleman of design will retire effective July 1, 2016. Michael Simcoe, a 33-year veteran of GM Design and vice president of GM International Design, based in Australia and Korea, has been selected to succeed Welburn. He will be the company’s seventh design leader and begins transitioning into his new role on May 1.
Inside and outside of the auto industry, Welburn is known as an icon of design. In 2008, when the world, and General Motors, was crumbling, Welburn was bringing out the Chevy Volt and doing all he could to make General Motors a car you would want to buy and a car company the Government would want to help revitalize.
