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John Manoogian II is an industrial designer, adjunct faculty member, automotive industry expert and automobile designer — widely known for his nearly 33-year career with General Motors,[3] where he designed for the company's Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saturn, Buick, Oldsmobile and Cadillac divisions.
John Manoogian II | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 23, 1947[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Industrial Designer, Adjunct Faculty Member, Automotive Industry Expert, Automobile Designer |
| Notable work | Cadillac Cimarron Cadillac CTS, 2nd Generation with Bob Munson (lead designer) and Paul Scicluna (lead sculptor)[2] |
At Cadillac, Manoogian's work ranged from the hastily conceived and oft-derided Cimarron to the second generation Cadillac CTS Coupe, winner of the Motor Trend Car of the Year, Best Concept Car Design & Best Vehicle Design award at the 2008 North American International Auto Show,[4] as well as the production and concept categories at EyesOn Design, an event judged by noted vehicle designers.[4]
After General Motors, Manoogian has served on the faculty at the College of Creative Studies as well as design director with Quadrobot Corporation, developers of a last mile, autonomous electric delivery vehicle.
Manoogian contributes regularly online at Driven to Write, recounting his design career under the byline JM2.[5]
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Manoogian was born in Detroit[1] to Rose Violet Manoogian (1922–2018)[6] and John Albert Manoogian (1921–2016), a former Marine in World War II[7] — and later, manager of the Alpha Project, Ford Motor Company's advanced manufacturing program.[8][9]
Manoogian grew up in Michigan and after working as a designer/clay sculptor for Ford Motor Company,[10] returned to school and received a B.A. in Transportation Design from the Art Center College of Design,[1] Los Angeles— and subsequently an M.B.A. from Oakland University, Rochester, MI.[1]
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On the Cadillac CTS Coupe: "the car's development cost was paid when the company did the sedan. All of the internal architecture, the drivetrain, the cowl, and most of the components, are those of the sedan and have, thereby, already been budgeted. So, this car is pretty close to a freebie, as an investment by the company."
John Manoogian II[11]
On the Cadillac CTS Coupe: "Each line and angle of the bodywork was carefully honed, and the final design's proportions were judged by the eyes of the design team, not computer-generated math data,"
John Manoogian II[12]
After joining the General Motors Design Staff in 1976,[1][3] Manoogian acted as Assistant Chief Designer at Saturn Exterior, Pontiac Exterior, Cadillac Exterior; Chief Designer at Pontiac Exterior; Executive Vehicle Chief Designer at Buick, Chevrolet, Pontiac Exterior; and Director of Design at Cadillac Exterior.[3] He designed two Presidential Limousines, 2006 and 2009;[13] and interviewed and hired college graduates for design positions at GM Design. He has served as a Sheet Metal Subject Matter Expert and holds 3 design patents.[3] Manoogian had the task of proposing which vehicles to sell and which to keep from the more than 900 in the GM Heritage Center's pre-bankruptcy collection.[14]
Portfolio:
- 1981 Cadillac Cimarron
- 1985 Cadillac Deville,[10]
- 1996 Pontiac Grand Prix,[10]
- 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix[10]
- 2005 Cadillac DTS[10]
- 2006 Buick Lucerne[10]
- Chevrolet Impala
- 2008 Cadillac CTS[10]
- 2006 and 2009 USA Presidential Limousines[10]
Manoogian formed a design consultancy, Forzablitz,[3] and has acted as an automotive design patent expert witness. He taught for seven years at the College of Creative Studies. As an industry speaker, he has addressed the Industrial Designer's Society of America Annual Michigan conference on Transportation and the Portland Art Museum and has participated with numerous car clubs; appeared in the documentary "Detroit in Overdrive;" and acted as a design judge at the La Jolla,CA, Meadowbrook Concours, EyesOn Design Automotive Design Exhibition.[3]
In 2020, Manoogian served as Director of Design for Quadrobot Corporation, founded in 2017 by Mike Tianye Wang, a former student of Manoogian. The company is developing an autonomous, electric last mile delivery vehicle.[15]
As an industry insider, Manoogian continues to participate in automotive discussions and roundtables, often sharing his personal experience as a designer. On the YouTube Rare Classic Cars & Automotive History channel, he has conducted a series of interviews illuminating the car design process and his experience designing particular models.[16]
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