Ed Welburn: GM's king of design: designer revolutionizes the automotive industry

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Ed Welburn always knew that he wanted to design cars. As a kid growing up in the Philadelphia suburbs, he would draw so many pictures of cars that he regularly ran out of conventional places to sketch his creations.

"At 2 1/2 or 3, I would draw cars on every piece of paper that I would get," he says. "It wasn't anything more than an oval with a couple of wheels and door. It wasn't trains or airplanes. It wasn't houses. It was cars. When my paper ran out, I would steal books from my mother's bookshelf and draw cars on that blank page in the front of the book."

Today, as General Motors' vice president for global design, Welburn's working conditions have improved tremendously. In fact, the entire world is now his canvas. Operating out of Detroit's GM headquarters, Welburn is responsible for the design development of all General Motors' cars and trucks. From the Cadillac Escalade and the Hummer to the Corvette, it doesn't hit the showroom floor until Welburn gives it his stamp of approval. Only the sixth design leader in GM Design's 75-year history, Welburn heads a 1,400-member team operating in 11 design centers in eight countries. He is the first African-American to lead a major automotive design house. Since stepping into the position nearly three years ago, the 56-year-old Welburn has infused his creativity, style and soul into making GM cars stand out. In fact, insiders say that under Welburn's leadership, GM--which created such iconic cars as the Camaro and Corvette during the heydays of the '50s and '60s--has its design mojo back.

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GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner, in announcing Welburn's promotion to design chief, said that he was the right man for the job. "Ed has the skills and talent needed to successfully direct a design organization with the unique product breadth and depth of GM," he said. "With his broad experience and passion for design, Ed will take GM Design to the next level of creating exciting, compelling cars and trucks."

At the recent New York Auto Show, Welburn was part architect, part salesman as he introduced three concept cars designed by his team in South Korea. "You might think you know what to expect from General Motors; think again," Welburn told the crowd as music blasted in the background. "There's a whole new rhythm to GM these days."

The story of how Welburn rose from being the first African-American car designer at GM to the top man overseeing the design of every car GM produces is one of perseverance, loyalty, faith and an abiding love of cars. Welburn's first contact with GM actually began when he was 11 years old. That was when he wrote the carmaker to let it be known that he wanted to be a car designer. "I just wanted to know what I needed to do," Welburn says. "What courses I needed to take. They sent me great information, and I followed it."

After high school, he attended Howard University, where he graduated in 1972 with a fine arts degree in sculpture and product design. He went right to work for GM--and has been there ever since.

To this day, Welburn's eyes light up when he thinks about his first ride, a '56 Chevy. He owns five cars now, including a Corvette and a restored 40-year-old Camaro SS.

When he's not designing cars, Welburn, who is married with two adult children, enjoys cooking and collecting antique martini shakers. But the ultimate car guy also likes to hang out in his garage. "I don't tune engines, change oil and that kind of stuff," he says. "I just like to wash them, wax them and take them for a spin. It's a great way to unwind."

COPYRIGHT 2007 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning