Cadillac Design Chief Bryan Nesbitt Appointed GM’s Head of Global Design
General Motors has appointed its eighth head of design in nearly a century. Bryan Nesbitt, who currently runs Cadillac’s design department, will replace Michael Simcoe as the group’s lead designer in July 2025.
Simcoe started his illustrious career at General Motors in 1983, when he joined Australia-based Holden as a designer. The 67-year-old Australian rose through the ranks and has held numerous positions within the group’s design arm since. He was appointed senior vice president of General Motors Global Design, which is a fancy way of saying “global head of design,” in 2016, so most of the cars in the firm’s portfolio were styled under his watch. He’s also credited as the mastermind behind the new Design West studio.
Simcoe will hand the reins to Nesbitt on July 1, 2025. Nesbitt, a 55-year-old designer born in Arizona, started his career at Chrysler in the late 1990s and worked on projects such as the Citroën 2CV-inspired CCV concept and the PT Cruiser. He joined General Motors in 2001 as the head of Chevrolet’s design department, and he has held several executive-level positions since. In an odd twist of fate, Nesbitt notably played a significant role in finalizing the HHR, which was aimed directly at the PT Cruiser.
Nesbitt ran Cadillac’s design department from July 2009 to March 2010, when he left to take a series of design positions within General Motors in the United States and abroad. He returned to Cadillac in 2022.
“I would like to express my gratitude to Michael Simcoe as I transition into this role. Michael is a generational designer, a visionary who elevated GM Design and redefined our craft while driving our business forward,” Nesbitt said. There’s no word on who will replace him as Cadillac’s lead designer.
While many laugh at the PT and HHR both sold a lot of models and made a lot of money. Brian has done a nice job on the XT and CT models.
I disagree. I find that his designs age poorly.
I would have to see a more comprehensive review of his portfolio before giving a critique. The PT Cruiser and HHR are dated designs of that retro fendered era thing. Briefly in vogue then but what since? Cadillacs designs are unique and distinctive. However they have become a bit long in the tooth and lost their sizzle. The time to consider a remake is now. If the PT and HHR are in fact indicative of Nesbitts design philosophy… those cars fell off the ugly tree and hit every branch down.
I think you two miss the point of the old retro cars.
Retro always ages fast. But in this case it was about selling a lot of cars and making money. Both did that better than the alternative of a Cobalt wagon or Neon wagon that would have not sold even half what the retro cars sold.
Cadillac is not his fault as it changed direction and manage a dozen times in the last few years. Then Gas to EV. Now back to some Gas again.
He will do fine now in charge.
Note I’m not a retro fan as it all does not age well. But in the PT and HHR it did the needed job.
I think in the future they will be a car that may be a surprised collectible.
God knows his work is better than the Cube and other odd square boxes and cars that try hard to look like a Mercedes for a lack of originality.
Is this promotion based on Cadillac’s rousing sales success over the past 25 years? I predict the “Jaguar-Ization” of GM Design over the next five years. Keep him away from the Corvette, please.