Cadillac CUE merges luxury design with intuitive technology and delivers personalized, connected driving for buyers of the upcoming Cadillac XTS and ATS luxury sedans and the SRX luxury crossover. Matt Highstrom is part of the team that designed the Cadillac User Experience (CUE) and he says this industry-leading interface reduces complexity through customized information, natural voice commands, fewer buttons and larger icons. Click the video to see Matt’s tour through some of the highlights of Cadillac CUE.

What's with the storage compartment behind the main system touch screen? Check out the video to find out.

The vibrant LCD multi-touch screen has large icons similar to multi-touch smartphones but also features haptic touch response and proximity sensing to dim the display when not in use.

Ivy Jin handles corporate communications and media relations for GM China. Recently, she came to the U.S. to assist the social media team during the North American International Auto Show. She brought a global perspective to the assignment, and went back home with new social media ideas to establish relationships with customers online. Click the video to see portions of her two-week whirlwind assignment.

Ivy with Lisa Gilpin (l) from the GM Social Media team in the Chevrolet display at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

Ivy in the Cadillac display at NAIAS 2012.

At the 2012 North American International Auto Show, Chevrolet unveiled two concept cars that were developed with input from next-generation auto buyers. More than 9,000 people under the age of 30 years old were surveyed. Their thoughts and desires were incorporated in the Code 130R and the Tru 140S concepts. Check out the video to get more views of what the cars look like and to find out what Chevrolet is aiming to achieve with these vehicles.

For a more in-depth look at the Tru 140S concept and its designer, check out our previous story.

The CODE 130R concept represents "functional muscle" and is designed as RWD coupe

The TRU 140S concept represents an "affordable exotic" and is designed as a FWD coupe.

GM North America President Mark Reuss (l to r), Chevrolet Senior Manager Global Marketing Strategy John McFarland and Lead Designer Nick David with the Chevrolet Tru 140S concept.

Nicholas studied engineering in his home country of Wales, and then went on to receive a Masters in vehicle design at the Royal College of Art in London, before joining GM’s advanced design studio in the United Kingdom. He later moved to Jaguar and Land Rover. When he got an offer to move to California to design for Honda and then Acura, the lure of sunshine and a new challenge got him to move halfway around the world. He said he learned to be a better designer during his stops with the other brands, but GM still held a special place for him. “(GM) was my first job out of college and you hold something inside from that. I had a great time and (I like) working on several brands at once.”

Nicholas David prior to the reveal of the Chevrolet Tru 140S concept car

When GM approached him a year ago to join its design team at its North Hollywood studio, he jumped at the opportunity. What compelled him to return to GM? “I think it’s a very good thing as a designer to work on more than one brand. You get kind of stale working on the same brand over and over.  So it’s good, we get a chance to work on Buick, work on Cadillac, also Chevrolet. It was a very exciting opportunity, especially in Los Angeles.”

Nicholas designed the Tru 140S concept vehicle that debuted at this year’s NAIAS. It is targeted at next-generation buyers, based upon feedback received from extensive surveys of young consumers. Nicholas sees what was presented at the show as only a starting point. “This is the first stage. These are kind of research vehicles.”

Nicholas designed the Tru 140S as an exterior design only, because, “The first port of call is always the exterior. That gets you excited. That gets your emotions going.” The research showed next-gen buyers are concerned about the technology and connectivity available inside the car. Next-gen buyers were clear: Technology matters. To ensure Tru 140S best represented the most cutting edge technology available, the designers decided to keep the interiors as digital renderings to be shown as thought starters.  Nicholas noted the research helped shape exterior and interior design. “We were surprised by the amount of technology these people wanted inside the car. They wanted a lot of connectivity without impacting safety.”

Nicholas is one of the team of GM designers working on developing cars that appeal to young people demanding style, technology and safety. It’s a challenge Nicholas is eager to confront and conquer. Keep watching to see what’s next.

“It’s incredibly important to find the best talent and it’s hard to find. There are design schools all throughout the country… all throughout the world,” said Dave Lyon, GM executive director of interior design. “Part of the reason we like this contest is we’re able to reach schools – in some cases – we never even heard of.”

The competition kicked off in the spring of 2011, and more than 300 design students from across the U.S. and Canada submitted entries. They were challenged to design both an interior and an exterior for one of GM’s four brands: Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. During the next several months, GM designers mentored students, helping them improve their designs on a dedicated website.

Student Vitaliy Pankov (l) with GM Design Executive Director Dave Lyon

Earlier this month at the North American International Auto Show, winners were announced, and some of the victors came from unexpected places. Vitaliy Pankov from Gulf Coast State College in Florida won for his interior design for Cadillac. As he announced Vitaliy’s name, Lyon noted, “I have never heard of your school.” But going forward, thanks to this competition, Gulf Coast State College will be a more familiar name in GM Design circles.

Vitaliy said winning this competition is the culmination of a life-long dream for him. “This was a great opportunity for me. I was always kind of afraid that the (lack of high-profile) education might be stopping me from getting there. The feedback from the judges helped me, and I learned a lot from that.”

The competition organizers weren’t the only ones surprised by who won. Shane Harbour lives in Milwaukee and is a student at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. He brought his camera to the award ceremony to get pictures of the winning design students. When he was announced as a winner for his exterior design for a compact GMC pickup truck, he said, “I ended up being a winner myself, and I almost dropped my camera.”

A full list of the winners, their schools and a look at some of the winning designs is available on the Car Design News website. Each winner received a paid internship at GM’s design studios in Warren, Mich. and an Apple iPad 2.

For students looking for more information about GM Design, check out their Facebook page.

Dave Lyon announced at the awards ceremony that the Interactive Design Competition was so successful, it will be a part of GM Design’s recruiting process again in 2012.

Today Heather is lead color and trim designer for Buick. This week, the luxury small crossover Buick Encore was introduced as the newest member of the growing Buick lineup.

Heather stayed close to home when she went to college at Lawrence Technological University, and she remained in the area when she got her first job after college with GM Design. In the eight years since then, she’s been collaborating with and visiting GM Design studios around the globe as she’s worked on some of Buick’s hottest models.

Heather points out the saddle-and-cocoa color combination with accent stitching on the seat.

Heather says she started working on the Encore almost two years ago. It’s a typical part of her job that she works on future vehicles, and she also works around the world. She explains “The color and trim (group) works collaboratively with our global counterparts. We look at the future trends in fashion, interior design, architecture, and we come up with several ideas and proposals of color combinations, variance of hue, saturation of colors that we explore.”

Heather mentions the international aspect of her job is one of the best parts of working for GM Design. “I love working on global programs and working very closely with every region. I think it’s very exciting for us seeing the different cultures, working with the different cultures and sometimes traveling over there, getting to meet face to face with them and seeing how they live, how their culture is.”

Heather speaks from a design viewpoint when she says, ““Warm expressive wood does really well for us in the Buick.” And she speaks from a car fan viewpoint when you ask her how she wants the new Buick owner to react. She says, “As the customer opens the door, they should say, ‘Wow! I want to get in that vehicle.’ And when they get in, they should have a feeling of luxury and sophistication.”

The saddle-and-cocoa color combination shown on the Encore at the NAIAS is right in line with the latest fashion trends, but Heather is already thinking ahead to the next stage. She says, “Color is one of the easiest things to change out and refresh for future models. We can change that out pretty quickly and still keep up with the fashion industry.” But the scope of the auto industry means the color and trim team needs to be constantly looking to the future. She states, “Our job is critical in determining what those future color positions and spaces are going to be, working several years out. It’s very important for us to understand where those color placements are going.”

The Detroit native continues to tap sources around the globe to predict future trends for Buick.

As the Internet director for James Wood, Amanda regularly joins conversations on Facebook and Twitter.  She posts about the ways they are involved in the community, or participates in social media exchanges about vehicles sold by James Wood Motors. (James Wood sells new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac models at two different locations.) Amanda said Chevrolet’s “mommy blogger” program gets some discussions going, and she’ll chime in when she can. She said, “We don’t get involved and say ‘come buy a car here.’ That’s not really the approach you need to take. We get involved by just communicating with the moms. We’ll talk to them about any kind of questions they have about the vehicle.” Monitoring those online exchanges helps her dealerships understand what customers want and like in a car or truck. Amanda said, “Our mom bloggers are great at giving us feedback on our vehicles and how they integrate with their lives.”

James Wood Motors Internet Sales Manager Ted Moore outfitted in appropriate Texas attire.

Amanda works closely with Ted Moore, James Woods’ Internet sales manager. While they don’t overtly try to sell cars through social media, Ted does believe it has an impact when people start talking about their dealership online. He said, “People have a little more trust in it (social media) because it is real people talking about their experiences. It’s not a car guy trying to rah-rah them.”

Amanda worked for James Wood back in the 1990s, and came back about four years ago to handle the social media job. While some dealerships hire outside firms to handle their social media needs, she feels being wired into the James Wood operation and understanding the values of the organization helps her convey a better picture of how they are serving the community.

She says social media isn’t about technology, it’s about people. “It’s really just a method of communication for us. It’s the same as a phone or a fax machine or an e-mail.” She said some customers communicated entirely by text or Twitter prior to coming in to sign the papers to buy a car. If that works for the customer, Amanda and Ted will make it work too.

We asked Amanda what it takes to be a successful social media person for a dealership. She said, “Someone who is dedicated to watching it and watching out for things to post.” She keeps her eyes open for stories from newspapers or magazines, or from Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac that talk about new features on vehicles.

Even though she’s been working in social media for several years, the feedback from people she’s never met in person reminds her of the effectiveness of tools like Twitter and Facebook. After a GM executive in Detroit responded to one of her tweets, she said, “I still get shocked when I post messages and people respond. It reminds you that social media is just a way to get closer to people who kind of seem untouchable.”

Our team here at the Faces of GM is about to take a break over the Christmas/New Year’s period, but before we go, we’d like to thank you for making 2011 a great year for us. We’ve produced more than 80 stories, introducing you to employees, dealers, customers and friends of GM, Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. Sometimes we talked about great cars or trucks, and other times we showed you great people contributing to great communities.

Looking back over the year, we selected a few of our favorite stories that we thought you might like to look at again, or check out for the first time. Each of them highlights an aspect of how GM touches so many lives across the country and around the world.  Feel free to post your own comments on the blog.

- After a killer tornado tore through Joplin, Missouri, we brought you the story of how the Crossroads Chevrolet-Cadillac dealership helped the community and its employees deal with the devastation.

- We also introduced you to Seattle, Wash. dealer Brad Brotherton who uses social media to touch his local community and has found his business growing as a result of what he’s doing online.

- Homeless advocate Mark Horvath was given a GMC Terrain for a year to help him deliver his message about homelessness in the U.S. and Canada. People in two countries became aware of an often-hidden issue as a result of his work.

- Chevrolet previewed the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu (which should be at your dealerships in early 2012) and we met aerodynamics engineer Suzy Cody, a mother of two who drives a Camaro and skates on a roller derby team. We enjoyed bringing you the story about her passion for her job and her family.

- And in recognition of the 10^th anniversary of one of the greatest tragedies of the last generation, airbrush artist Mickey Harris created a special tribute to the heroes of 9/11, by telling the stories of that event through images painted on a Chevrolet Silverado. The response from the people on the streets of New York City near Ground Zero showed us how that vehicle touched the hearts of so many.

Thanks again for stopping by our blog and making 2011 a record-setting year in terms of stories and page views. We look forward to 2012, and bringing you more about the people and products that make GM an integral part of so many homes, families and communities. Happy New Year! See you in January.

Ms. Tillie, as she is known, founded Mission Arlington a quarter-century ago, and is still running the operation today. Former President George W. Bush referred to her as “the Mother Teresa of Arlington.” As you watch her work and talk to her, you understand why she has picked up that nickname. At 75 years of age, Ms. Tillie is not slowing down one bit, and she is absolutely dedicated to taking care of those who need help.

Ms. Tillie loading toys into the Mission Arlington Christmas Store while talking on her walkie-talkie

She works nearly around the clock to serve the community. She said, “I’m here at 3 every morning and stay until late in the evening. People say, ‘Why do you come so early?’ (Because) I can’t say we’re not going to open until 8 o’clock every day and close at 5. We’re going to be here because in those early morning hours, folks are having special needs.”

We saw Ms. Tillie at the Arlington Assembly plant late one evening, as the kids from Mission Arlington visited and met Santa and picked out toys. The next morning, she was back at the plant with a second group of children,. She then helped the employees load up thousands of toys, and take them to the Mission Arlington Christmas store. Next, she helped unload the trucks, while at the same time using her walkie-talkie phone to orchestrate pickups and deliveries for her staff and clients.

She said the relationship with the GM plant energizes her. The $95,000 raised by the GM employees to buy toys helps her to achieve her goal of assisting thousands of people during the holidays. She said, “It’s just a beautiful thing to anticipate and it’s always more than we can imagine. Not only do they give their money, they give their hearts and lives.” She said the gifts from the GM team create Christmas for lots of people. She said, “Last year 33,000 children got toys. We could not do that unless General Motors provided.”

Ms. Tillie described what happens at Mission Arlington this way: “We’re involved in one of the greatest miracles since the parting of the Red Sea.” She said the relationship began when one employee at the GM plant said, “Maybe we can help.” As the kids visited the plant, Ms. Tillie told us that one of the little girls said, “I don’t believe in Santa Claus. Santa’s never been to my house.” After meeting the employees, sitting on Santa’s lap and picking out presents for herself and her siblings, Ms. Tillie says that little girl found out that Santa does indeed exist in the hearts of generous people.

Happy holidays to everyone!