GM opens Advanced Design Studio in Seoul

General Motors has opened a new Advanced Design Studio in Seoul, Korea, the American automaker announced today (April 20). GM is set to leverage its position in the trendy Gangnam area of the Korean city, recently coined the 2010 World Design Capital.

The Gangnam location puts the Seoul Advanced Design Studio in the heart of the nation's center of culture, the arts, fashion and industry. It will enable the new organization to participate in the extensive series of design programs being carried out in Seoul, which succeeded Torino, Italy, as World Design Capital. Gangnam is one of Seoul's most affluent neighborhoods and a shopping mecca home to dozens of global and Korean brands, and hundreds of trendy clubs and restaurants and art galleries.

"Our car designers get inspiration from life and Gangnam is a place where people worship design, style and fashion," said Ed Welburn, GM Vice President of Global Design. "Our Korean designers will sample perfection every day surrounded by some of the top brands and fashion houses in the world and this ideal location will nurture their creative souls."

The new facility will employ 30 designers and support staff specializing in the exterior and interior design of global mini and small vehicles. Their work will help set the future design direction for GM Daewoo and General Motors through research on trends in colors and materials, advanced electronics, digital design, and studio engineering.

"Seoul Advanced Design Studio will be at the forefront of fashion, the arts, culture and business. It will provide an ideal environment for our designers, who benefit from constant inspiration and stimuli," said GM Daewoo Vice President of Design, Taewan Kim.

One of ten global design centers and the design base for GM's global mini and small vehicles, the GM Daewoo Design Center has relocated its advanced design function to Seoul from its headquarters in Bupyeong, Incheon, in order to enhance its function and specialty.

By Eric Gallina