Wayne Cherry

68
Wayne Cherry bigraphy, stories - Generals

Wayne Cherry : biography

1937 –

Wayne K Cherry (born 1937) is an American car designer is responsible for the conversion of Opel-style lines into the British Vauxhall or American counterparts for General Motors. In 1991 he returned to the United States, and in 1992 became vice president of design for GM worldwide. He retired in 2004.

Cherry was one of twenty-five nominees for the 1999 Car Designer of the Century.

Career

Cherry joined GM in 1962 after graduation from the Art Center College of Design, initially working at GM in the US as an Associate Creative Designer. At the time, he was a member of the teams that designed the original Chevrolet Camaro/Pontiac Firebird, and the Oldsmobile Toronado. In 1965, he transferred to Vauxhall Motors in the UK, GM’s UK operations.

In 1970, his concept car the Vauxhall SRV was released. Cherry became Assistant Director of Design for Vauxhall in 1971, when Bedford Trucks also fell under his aegis. Under Cherry, the redesigned 1973 Vauxhall Firenza was released with its aerodynamics "droopsnoot". Appointed Director of Design in 1975, Cherry’s the Chevette, Cavalier and Carlton.

In 1983, Cherry became Director of Design at the Opel Design Centre at Rüsselsheim in Germany, as part of the consolidation of operations between the two arms of the company. He reorganised the structure of GM’s European styling teams, such that all models produced from then on were common Vauxhall/Opel designs. Under his directorship, cars such as the Astra, Corsa, Calibra and Tigra were designed, among many others.

Cherry returned to GM’s US Chevrolet operations in 1991. His designs at this time included models for Chevrolet and Geo. In 1992 Cherry became vice president of design for GM worldwide, the fifth head of design in GM’s history. His responsibility covered all of GM’s North American brands – Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chevrolet Truck, GMC, Hummer, Pontiac and Saturn. Designs such as the Pontiac Solstice, Cadillac Sixteen and so forth were all produced under Cherry’s directorship. The H2 Hummer, the Chevy SSR, as well as over 100 concept vehicles were developed.