Designer of PT Cruiser To Become Head of Cadillac

Oh boy! Just when you thought Caddy was heading in the right direction...

Remind how much of a commercial success that POS called the PT was.

please don't screw up Cadillac. They're absolutely stunning right now. NO RETRO!!! Forward thinking, people! FORWARD THINKING!!!

AAAAHHHHAHAHAHAHAAA

So the plan for the new GM is to distill the most fragrant crap from the old GM?

bahahahahahah.

This guy is a one trick pony. Will all caddys now be vaguely retro with hints of dork thrown in?

He is a talented and smart designer. Nesbitt was responsible for the PT Cruiser concept car, not the production model.

It's a great step to bring the design talent into management and really bring design to the fore- and put the bean counters back where they belong.

Actually, I think this could be a good thing. He styled the PT Cruiser, which was actually very good looking for its time. A time before "retro" was "cool".

He did an even better job on the HHR IMO. That's what I think. But I hope he does go forward with Caddy and not back to the fins and bullet lights of yesteryear...

Maybe if he is the head of Cadillac, they (hopefully) won't actually let him design anything.

Interesting about the positive comments regarding the HHR and PT. I've not heard a Gen X ever refer to a Loser Cruiser in a positive light. I know the car was a hit with boomers though...

This is a disaster waiting to happen.

Get ready for the "HHR d'Elegance" with Gold Package.
So where does Ed Welburn fit in with this?

When the PT first came out they couldn't sell them fast enough. They were marking them up $10k and people were paying it. There was a crowd a dozen people deep at the NY auto show when it arrived there. There are still to this day hundreds of pt cruiser clubs. It was Motor Trend car of the year. I'm pretty sure the "Loser Cruiser" was not a failure. Over a million have been sold. It just badly needed some refreshes along the way that it didn't get.

The guy has probably done a thousand designs. The PT Cruiser was one that GM decided to go forward with. It happens to be retro and it's not that bad.

Me thinks (some) people are jumping to conclusions a little too quickly. Give the guy a break.

brn, PT was a mopar. HHR, which came much later, is a GM product. One trick pony. He's done two famous cars and they're near twins.

pat1, the Loser Cruiser sold well. So did the Mustang II. You know where Loser Cruiser still sell? Rental companies. By the droves. And the PT never caught on with young people - like Honda's attempts to get young people with their dorkilicious Element.

So middle aged folks and rental companies snapped up the Loser Cruiser in all of its inefficient, poorly built glory. I've had my share of Cruisers as rentals (and a few HHRs) - bad doesn't begin to describe the ergonomics and drivetrain of these cars. They're so awful I actually long for a car like a Malibu or Grand Prix when I get shafted with one.

I'd like to see an engineer in charge for a change, not a salesman, a finance guy or a designer (which is a sort of salesman if you think about it.)

Don't sell me style or emotion. Sell me engineering and a well thought-out and thoroughly vetted product that will perform. A product where the stuff UNDER the skin gets serious attention, not just the styling, the dubs and the shiny chrome.

Caddy is (was?) on the right track with the "Arts and Science" design so hopefully we'll still get the DTS/STS replacement. As hot as the CTS is, with longer overall length, similar lines could be stunning. Cadillac should also strongly consider bringing back some of their great brand names like Coupe de Ville, Eldorado, Biarritz...but um, not Cimarron.

Blueguy, I've had my 2001 since I was 21. Still own it. Ergonomics? I always feel comfortable in that car. Theres always plenty of room and the seating position is great. Its been through three cross-country trips loaded down with gear, (since the back seats come completely out), and it did the job flawlessly. Its had a supercharger on it for 6 years and still has had zero mechanical problems. I'm sorry your base-rental PT didn't impress you, but the car was well put together back in 2001. Can't speak too much on the refreshed one after 2006 though.

Of course, arguing cars can be pretty futile. I'm a Subaru guy also so I'm pretty sure I'll always be looked at a little strangely...

pat1,

You make it sound like 1 example. If that were so then I'd stay quiet about the PT. But the fact is, while traveling for work over the past decade I've had a PT at least 12 times. My wife had one for weeks when her Audi was in the shop (an idiot hit her parked car). Her uncle also has one and we've driven it many, many times.

We have different points of view but I assure you my dismal view of the PT isn't based on experiencing the car for a test drive or even one rental period but the equivalent of months in them. To each his own.

The PT was a huge hit when it came out. I don't see how anyone can argue that. Not only was it a very cool exterior design but very practical too. That's why it kept selling so well for so long.

You can't compare it to the MustangII. It sold purely because it was called Mustang and everyone loved the original. The PT was an all new idea in name and looks. It sold at first on it's looks but kept selling because it worked.

Sure it may be dated now but it had a great run.

The HHR would have done well if it came out at the same time but it arrived just as the PTs party was wrapping up and people were moving on to something else.

blueguydotcom: "brn, PT was a mopar."

You would be correct. I'm a bit ashamed.

Well, the premier designer of cars that appeal to old people is heading to Cadillac. That seems appropriate.

the re-hiring of lutz... how this... sigh...

For all those who say the PT Cruiser was a sales hit - check the facts - it may have been a "hit" for Chrysler group as a whole (because they can barely sell anything), but in the greater scheme of things it wasn't ever in the top 20 annual sales toppers in the USDM. A million sold? Over how many years in how big a market? Just for comparison the W210 E Class sold a million pieces in Germany in less than 4 years - and that's a price-premium car in a market that's 1/6th the unit-volume size of the USDM.

Hiring this guy - OMG! what a catastrophe - of all the men in the world ............. even Bangle would have been a better choice - atleast he's used to doing those surfaces and angles that would suit a resurgent Cadillac.

This is the biggest fail in the industry.

It was a sales hit, in the beginning. Then Chrysler ignored it for 10 years. And I'm sure Mercedes sells a lot of cars in Germany, that doesn't really convince me of anything. You know what type of food sells well in China? Chinese food.
And you really believe this one hiring is THE BIGGEST fail in the industry right now? How many designers do you personally know?

I'm sure I'll never convince those of the "we hate Chrysler bandwagon" but the PT was a big hit in it's first 4 years. It was an excellent design for 2000 and only seems dated now because (as pat1usmc mentioned) it was ignored for years.

If you don't think a million is a lot for a uniquely styled wagon, what are some that did better?

I'll bet Honda hasn't sold a million Elements and Sion probably didn't sell 1,000,000 xBs.

And if you're wondering why I didn't comment on Bryan Nesbitt, that because (other then a couple cars he designed) I don't know much about him.... and I'll bet I'm not the only one.

This is from Wikipedia:

"Since joining GM, Nesbitt has supported development of the exteriors of such new models as the Pontiac Solstice, Pontiac G6 coupe, Cadillac DTS and BLS, Buick Lucerne, Chevrolet Impala, HHR and Cobalt coupe, Saturn Aura and Sky, and GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook, and Buick Enclave."

*sheesh*

He may have put out a lot of designs but I think these cars are ugly.

First, there's no denying the PT was a sensation at first. It just didn't hit the target Chrysler had in mind. Like Honda's attempt to get young people with the Element, the PT always appealed to boomers and as the car aged, so did the average buyer's age.

Nesbitt is famous for the PT and for being hired away by GM where he made...the HHR (PT clone). He's had a hand in several failed cars (from his wiki page):

Since joining GM, Nesbitt has supported development of the exteriors of such new models as the Pontiac Solstice, Pontiac G6 coupe, Cadillac DTS and BLS, Buick Lucerne, Chevrolet Impala, HHR and Cobalt coupe, Saturn Aura and Sky, and GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook, and Buick Enclave.

Track record of yuck.

blueguy. Guess we posted same time. The Impala did sell well I think in 08. But all the same. I see a trend.

inlinesix: "He may have put out a lot of designs but I think these cars are ugly."

I would disagree. I think the Sky and Enclave are very nice vehicles.