African American Design Pioneer Honored

As you have probably become aware, we have a certain bias for minority car designers, since there are so few. Ed Welburn, who serves as GM's vice president of Global Design, recently received the inaugural Nicola Bulgari Award for outstanding contributions to preserving America's automotive heritage through education, restoration or collecting classic cars. This award was given to Welburn in conjunction with the grand opening of LeMay - America's Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington.

The award in named for jewelry magnate Nicola Bulgari (featured on the left), vice chairman of the Bulgari Group and an avid collector of American cars.

Welburn is considered one of the African American pioneers in the field of automotive design. Welburn is responsible for putting his seal of approval on every vehicle GM builds around the world.

Hyundai's Sonata Black History Maker, Designer Andre Hudson (Part II of II)

As we learned from part-one of our two-part interview with Andre Hudson, the lead designer for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata, it was an  agonizing decision for him to leave a city known for making cars and music to relocate to a state where people risk it all to literally strike gold. Just like the Clampetts from the hit seventies show The Beverly Hillbillies, this brother struck gold when he decided to trade-in the safety net General Motors had provided to begin anew with an up-and-coming automotive company, Hyundai.

Ironically, three of the seven years Hudson spent with the Detroit-based automaker, the trendsetting designer was given an opportunity of a lifetime to work out of  GM's Advanced Design Studio in Coventry, England. This international experience propelled Hudson to where he is today, becoming the first African American senior designer to work for a Korean automotive company.

So now that we've gained a better insight of Hudson's career path, let's move forward with the second-part of our revealing interview with this talented, world-class designer.
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JeffCars: So Andre, when it comes to car designs, what influences your creative energy?
Andre Hudson: As designers, we are influenced be nearly everything around us. It could be natural, physical or spiritual …but almost always emotional. To be inspired by something means, it moves you in some way. As designers, we create things that function well, but also hopefully move the user in some way. I personally get inspired by the awesomeness of the many things that God has created around us whether it be animal shapes and colors; geographical formations and colors; or simply movements in water.

JeffCars: Are you the first African American car designer to work outside of Detroit?
Andre Hudson: I don’t believe so. There are a few designers of color working in Asia and Europe ...but not many.

The new Hyundai Sonata hybrid is ready to take on the rising gas prices. 

JeffCars: How is the car culture of working in California different than Detroit?
Andre Hudson: Detroit's car culture is focused around products from the Big 3 (understandably), whereas California car culture is quite a bit broader. If you hit up a local car show here on any giving weekend, you’ll see everything from a classic Ford hot rod to a brand spanking new Aston Martin DBS parked next to each other. On the freeways here you’ll see everything slightly tricked-out as well, whether it be a youngster in a Scion coupe or a sixty-something in a Bentley coupe. They both want their car to stand out from the crowd, when creeping on the 5 (California's highway).

JeffCars: Since we’re focusing on Black History Month, what History Maker would you liken yourself to? And why?
Andre Hudson: I really don’t think I’m in a position to compare myself to any Black History Maker. To be completely honest, I am reaping the rewards of the struggles of many who have paved the way (like Ed Welburn) and past generations. Because of them, I have not had to even hesitate for a moment when thinking about what I am going to try or where I am going to go. You know, recently I made a trip down to Montgomery, Alabama, to meet the amazing team of men and women building the new Sonata and Elantra (mostly of color). My hotel was only a couple of blocks down the street from Martin Luther King’s church. He marched down the very street, in the very town, that now builds an award-winning sedan, designed by a young Black American for a Korean automaker. This is his dream realized. This is amazing!