Intelligent Design

Michael Burton revitalizes GM's antique roadshow image

By Laurence Bass

True visionaries are often considered unorthodox. Michael Burton is no different. “When I go into a hotel or restaurant, I look at everything,” Burton says. “Whether it is the lamps, napkins, plates, seats or even rearranging the silverware, I try to get a sense of design and style wherever I go.” As Director of Exterior Design at General Motors, Burton’s idiosyncrasies are paying off. His attention to detail is only surpassed by a passion for honing today’s minutia into tomorrow’s design. Burton’s musings continue to redefine the image of the automotive giant. gm will not become a passing fancy on his watch.

“Before the pen even hits the paper, I walk my team through what is indicative to the brand,” Burton says. “It is our responsibility to design models for Chevrolet, Buick, gmc and Saturn. So whatever the dna is of one brand has to be understood so that we aren’t duplicating the effect in all four cars.” Groundbreaking engineering and durability are engrained in gm’s legendary double helix. But the connecting bond is each model’s showroom-cum-driveway swagger. Burton’s quest for perfecting the genetic make-up of an automobile began with a homespun spelling bee.

“I was born in Lansing, Michigan and they used to build Oldsmobile cars there. So as a child I was intrigued by cars.” Burton recollects. “When I was five, I taught myself how to read by spelling the names of cars. Chevrolet: c-h-e-v-r-o-l-e-t. Buick: b-u-i-c-k.”

As Burton’s spelling became second nature, so did drawing these models. His childhood renderings soon became the axis of his future. “I actually wrote a letter to General Motors at 13-years-old and I sent them some of my drawings,” Burton says with a nostalgic grin. “They wrote me back and shared with me what colleges I should try to attend, which college preparatory classes I should take and what periodicals I should start reading. So you can say it started there.” Burton received a four-year minority scholarship from the Ford Motor Company to attend the Center for Creative Design in Detroit. After graduation, he went on to work for Ford and later became the first African American designer at Chrysler in 1999. The child who spelled and sketched yesteryear’s models was now the man at the forefront of designing them. “The traditional gm cars had, what I call, a visual value,” Burton says. “If you look back at the Impala, the Riviera and the ‘Deuce and-a Quarter’, they all share that quality.” Within two years of his arrival, that “value” began to depreciate.

The automotive industry, as a whole, experienced a decline in sales after September 11, 2001. Along with the trend, a new generation was not as receptive to General Motors’s classic appeal. The unshakeable “grandfather’s car” stigma and a sour market brought gm to a puzzling crossroad. A possible crux for other designers, Burton found a way to infuse style with functionality to develop some of gm’s most ambitious models. Symmetry between classic and contemporary design is apparent in his work. The Buick Enclave, Saturn Outlook and gmc Acadia all embody that philosophy. However, one of Burton’s models is gaining accolades from critics and drivers alike.

The 2009 Chevrolet Traverse is the première luxury crossover suv on the road today. This dynamo boasts a v6 engine that owns the road while nursing every drop of gas with an epa estimated mpg 17/city, 24/highway. Aside from the penny-pinching qualities, safety remains atop the list. The Traverse earned a Five-Star Crash Test Safety Rating—a secure ride for all eight passengers comes standard. And for the accidental tourist, the Traverse is fully equipped with On-Star, Turn-By-Turn navigation and in-mirror rearview camera. Showcasing these state-of-the-art features, is it a surprise that the Traverse was named Consumers Digest’s Best Buy for 2009? If you’re still not convinced, the car’s visual value speaks for itself.

“If you were to sit in the front seat of any car and just look at every single component—guess what—someone had to design every piece of that vehicle,” Burton says. “It is my job to make sure whatever started off in the sketch is seen when it comes rolling out of the factory.” Remaining true to the blueprint of the Traverse proved to be a lesson in merging art and science for Burton’s team. From clay, both exterior and interior designs were molded into life size replicas using mathematical data to enhance each form. Tedious to most, this process is just one piece of the larger mosaic.

The meticulous craftsmanship is seen from the Traverse’s angles. Burton goes into detail when discussing these intricacies. Every pointed finger and placed hand on surface comes with an anecdote recounting that step. He compares the Traverse to a Canali suit due to its refusal to be “trendy.” Burton knows style. If he had learned how to read by spelling the names of designer garments his creations would’ve graced the runway instead of the freeway. The 2009 Chevrolet Traverse is indeed a glimpse of things to come from General Motors and Michael Burton. Although the response to his craft has been kind, Burton never loses sight of the true goal. “I love what I do,” Burton says. “The most satisfying thing is to see something that went from pen to paper, or just a concept, rolling down the road. Man, it’s phenomenal.”