The first GAC European Car Design Studio has been opened in Milan

Apre a Milano il primo GAC European Car Design Studio

Aim to design new vehicles reflecting the Group’s global ambitions, has been open in Milan the global design hub GAC R&D Center Europe.

The GAC Group (Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd.), one of China’s most renowned car manufacturers, inaugurated its first design centre in Europe, located in Milan’s Via Tortona design district, with this innovative space that will become a global hub, a breeding ground for talent, ideas, and innovative projects.

Together with the studios in Los Angeles and Shanghai, GAC R&D Center Europe will form an ecosystem of global excellence, designing the car of the future. The Milan centre will host around 25 professionals practicing vehicle design, experience design, and visual branding: the team will be composed of a diverse group of “Made in Europe” talents, and joined by the members of GAC Design studios in China and the United States. Therefore, the city of Milan will play a fundamental role as a facilitator of exchanges and sharing of best practices on a global level. Sealing an ideal bond with the city is the decision to locate its centre of excellence in what was once the studio of the late Giovanni Gastel, the internationally renowned Italian photographer, writer, and poet from Milan.

Apre a Milano il primo GAC European Car Design StudioThe opening ceremony took place this morning in the presence of Luomei Shu, Commercial Counselor, Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Milano, Jade Yin, Director of GAC Group Branding & Public Relations Department, Fan Zhang, General Manager of GAC R&D Center Europe and Vice President of R&D Center, Pontus Fontaeus, Design Director of GAC Advanced Design Los Angeles and Stéphane Janin, Design Director of GAC Advanced Design Milan. During the event, the company also unveiled the innovative and avant-garde show car Barchettawhich will be on display in the Milan space.

Zhang Fan, Vice President of GAC R&D Centre, said:

Design is one of the most important values for the GAC Group and, in today’s market, a key decision factor for customers. We have chosen the city of Milan as our first European design hub for its strong cultural and creative identity, which combines ideas in motion, innovation, and heritage of style and design. We are confident that this centre will enable the meeting of creative resources and the development of cutting-edge ideas between our country, Italy, and the rest of the world.

Apre a Milano il primo GAC European Car Design StudioThe GAC R&D Center Europe in Milan will be led by Stephane Janin, a renowned French automotive designer and a graduate of the UK’s Royal College of Art. With extensive automotive design experience, having worked at companies such as Renault, Dacia, Alpine, Samsung Motors, Infiniti, and Nissan, Janin is known as the “master of concept cars”, and his sketches are considered works of art.

He comments on the opening of this space:

Car designers need inspiration and big cities are the ideal places to capture the spirit of the times. Milan is a perfect example of this. We want to be an active part of the creative community in Milan, and that is why we have chosen the studio of a great Milanese artist and a symbolic area for design and art as our home. He concludes: The GAC R&D Center Europe will be a new generation car design studio, completely digitized, with the ambition of attracting young professionals and nurturing their creativity.

Source: Guangzhou Automobile Group

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.