When Harley Earl came to General Motors in 1927, he brought Hollywood with him. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Earl spent his early career building custom cars for movie stars before GM appointed him as its first design director. He went on to pioneer clay modeling as a vehicle molding medium, which the industry still relies on nearly a century later.
So it’s only fitting that GM is opening its massive new advanced design campus in Pasadena, California, and marking the occasion with a concept that goes far beyond what it can produce out of clay alone.
The new Pasadena studio spans 148,000 square feet across three buildings and is home to nearly 100 designers, sculptors, makers and artisans. It is fully equipped for full-scale clay modeling and digital collaboration and serves as GM’s primary hub for conceptual design.
The focus is on work that looks at past production programs to ask what cars might look like in a decade or two. Hussain Al Attar was named studio director, taking over from Brian Smith, who returned to the Chevrolet Corvette design team in Michigan.
GM to open the studio GMC introduced the HUMMER Xthe pickup and SUV concept pair are designed to test new ideas in manufacturing, materials and off-road capabilities. None are directed towards production. Instead, they are design and engineering studies that could point to GM’s future direction.
FLEX FAB and its future results
Car manufacturers can make cars differently over time
The most technically interesting element of the HUMMER X concept is something called FLEX FAB, a manufacturing approach that could reshape how automakers think about producing body panels.
Traditional car manufacturing relies on large, expensive stamping tools to press sheet metal into body panels. Each tool is designed for a specific part, meaning any design change requires new tools. This makes the process slow and expensive, two things the auto industry tries to avoid.
FLEX FAB works more like an industry 3D printingbut for metal. This allows for small-batch, on-demand production of metal panels without the need for special stamping tools. The same equipment can produce multiple designs, which opens the door to greater variety and faster iteration (two things the auto industry desperately wants).
For HUMMER X concepts, FLEX FAB makes up 57% of the body components in both truck and SUV configurations. The resulting aesthetic is direct and functional, with flat surfaces, clean edges, laser-welded seams and exposed precision bolts. There is nothing decorative about it. Vision comes from process, and process is the point.
If FLEX FAB could ever reach production, it could allow automakers to offer more configuration options without the manufacturing overhead that would normally make such diversity cost-prohibitive. He could do it in a nutshell product development times. For now, it’s only a proof of concept, but it’s compelling nonetheless.
HUMMER X Concepts and the “builder”
An old school car enthusiasts approach
Production story aside, the HUMMER X makes a strong impression as a concept car. While it would be amazing to see it in production, maybe we’ll get lucky and GM will at least send it on the auto show circuit. worked with current Hummer models.
Both pickup and SUV configurations are built around a modular platform designed for serious off-road capability. Ground clearance in the SUV is 13.2 inches, approach and departure angles are 44 and 46 degrees, respectively. The truck version offers 12.5 inches of ground clearance and an approach angle of up to 41.5 degrees.
Goodyear tires and 22-inch aluminum wheels are standard, which help give the HUMMER X its signature look. While the SUV variant rides on 37-inch rock tires, the truck version has a set of 35-inch street tires. Multimatic shocks, a GM staple, are complemented by robust underbody protection.
Collapsible displays inside allow drivers to organize their digital setup based on how they’re using the car at that moment, exploring remote trails or connecting to a busy freeway.
GM describes the intended buyer as a “builder,” someone who modifies and customizes their car, turns keys and participates in the larger automotive community. It’s definitely an old-school car enthusiast approach, although a “builder” mentality can help. attract new people to the hobby of car ownership.
To serve that customer, the design team created the HUMMER HUB, a a set of related programs this includes a reconnaissance drone. The drone can fly forward on a trail, send real-time terrain information to the driver, and dock itself when not in use. It’s a new school approach if ever there was one.
- Radar band detection
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X, K, Ka
- Companion App
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Drive smarter
The Escort MAX 360c MKII is a follow-up to the standard MAX 360c radar detector. This upgraded version features a longer detection range with an updated dual antenna platform and increased false alarm filtering through Blackfin DSP integration.
Sustainable materials strategy
Morse code on the floor
The design team focused on what they called mono-materials, replacing adhesives and multi-material joints with single-material fasteners and mechanical fasteners.
The goal is to make parts actually recyclable, not theoretically recyclable. A number of interior components, including seat backs, headrests and instrument panel ends, are made from recycled car bumper fascias. Parts are also designed to be swapped, shared and recycled.
There are several intentional details throughout the concept. The team’s working mantra, “Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints,” is encoded in Morse code on the floor. The teeth of the wheels make the exact same statement. These are small touches, but show how thoroughly the concept was conceived and developed.
What does the Pasadena studio represent?
The new campus is the latest chapter in nearly 40 years of GM Design in Southern California, building on the same regional tradition that Harley Earl helped build. GM’s global Advanced Design network also includes studios in Detroit, UK and Shanghai. The Pasadena facility is now a key part of that.
The studio’s goal is to look not only to the next model year, but to the next generation of what mobility can mean. The HUMMER X concept reflects this mandate with its flexible manufacturing, circular materials strategy and modular off-road platform. Whether any of them will make it to production in recognizable form remains to be seen, but the HUMMER X clearly represents where GM’s West Coast design operation is headed.
