Wayne Kent Cherry (born 1937) is an American car designer educated at Art Center College of Design and employed by General Motors from 1962 through 2004, retiring as Vice President of Design. Cherry worked for General Motors in the United States from 1962 until 1965, when he moved to the United Kingdom to take a position with General Motors'

Vauxhall Motors Vauxhall Motors Limited , ;Company No. 00135767. Incorporated 12 May 1914, name changed from Vauxhall Motors Limited to General Motors UK Limited on 16 April 2008, reverted to Vauxhall Motors Limited on 18 September 2017. is a British Automoti ...

subsidiary, becoming Design Director at Vauxhall in 1975. In 1983, General Motors consolidated all European passenger car design under Cherry and made him Design Director at General Motors'

Adam Opel AG Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Gr ...

subsidiary. Cherry returned to the United States in 1991 and in 1992 became General Motors Vice President of Design. Cherry retired from General Motors in 2004. Cherry was one of twenty-five nominees for the 1999 Car Designer of the Century.

Education

In the 1950s, Cherry read an article about the Art Center College of Design and wrote to the college, asking how to become a car designer. The college replied, telling Cherry to submit a portfolio. Cherry submitted a portfolio that included sketches of cars and engines and was accepted to the college. Cherry graduated with a bachelor's degree in industrial and transportation design in early 1962.

Career

Cherry joined General Motors in 1962 after graduating from the Art Center College of Design, initially working at General Motors in the US as an Associate Creative Designer. Cherry was a member of the team that designed the original

Chevrolet Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro sha ...

Pontiac Firebird The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile built and produced by Pontiac (automobile), Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months a ...

and the team that designed the 1966

Oldsmobile Toronado The Oldsmobile Toronado is a personal luxury car manufactured and marketed by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors from 1966 to 1992 over four generations. The Toronado was noted for its transaxle version of GM's Turbo-Hydramatic transmissi ...

. In 1965, Cherry transferred to General Motors' United Kingdom-based

subsidiary. His first project was in 1965 under Assistant Director of Design Leo Pruneau working on the Vauxhall XVR concept car. became Assistant Design Director at Vauxhall in 1970. In that same year, the

Vauxhall SRV The Vauxhall SRV (Styling Research Vehicle) is a 1970 concept car designed by Wayne Cherry and Chris Field for Vauxhall Motors. Never intended for production, the car was an attempt to raise Vauxhall's profile and image while providing a resear ...

concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle or show vehicle) is a car made to showcase new styling or new technology. Concept cars are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not ...

was shown. Under Cherry, General Motors released the redesigned 1973

Vauxhall Firenza The Firenza is a model of car offered by Vauxhall from May 1971 until 1975. It was a development of the Viva, but had a distinctive coupé body style (fastback) and only two doors. In South Africa, it was sold as the Chevrolet Firenza until i ...

with its aerodynamic "droopsnoot". Cherry became the Design Director for Vauxhall in 1975. In 1983, General Motors consolidated the design activities of its Vauxhall and Opel subsidiaries. As part of the consolidation plan, Cherry became Design Director at General Motors' Rüsselsheim, Germany-based Adam Opel AG subsidiary and became responsible for overall design of passenger cars in Europe. During his time at Opel, Cherry supervised the design of the

Astra Astra (Latin for "stars") may refer to: People * Astra (name) Places * Astra, Chubut, a village in Argentina * Astra (Isauria), a town of ancient Isauria, now in Turkey * Astra, one suggested name for a hypothetical fifth planet that became t ...

, Corsa, Calibra,

Tigra Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Roy Thomas and artist Wally Wood (Marie Severin was then brought in to help layout the art), with her early adventur ...

, among many others. Cherry returned to the United States in 1991 to direct the design studios of General Motors'

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

and

Geo Geo- is a prefix derived from the Greek word ''γη'' or ''γαια'', meaning "earth", usually in the sense of "ground or land”. GEO or Geo may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''GEO'' (magazine), a popular scientific magazi ...

divisions. In 1992, Cherry became Vice President of Design for General Motors worldwide, one of seven to have held the position, including

Harley Earl Harley Jarvis Earl (November 22, 1893 – April 10, 1969) was an American Automotive design, automotive designer and business executive. He was the initial designated head of design at General Motors, later becoming vice president, the first ...

, Bill Mitchell, Irv Rybicki, Chuck Jordan, Ed Welburn and

Michael Simcoe Michael "Mike" Simcoe (born 1959–1960) is an automobile designer from Melbourne, Australia. He most recently served as General Motors' Vice President of Global Design. Simcoe received an Associate Diploma of Art Industrial Design from the ...

. While Cherry Vice President of Design, he oversaw the designs of the

Pontiac Solstice The Pontiac Solstice is a convertible sports car that was produced by Pontiac (automobile), Pontiac from 2005 to 2010. Introduced at the North American International Auto Show#2004, 2004 North American International Auto Show, the Solstice roads ...

Cadillac Sixteen The Cadillac Sixteen is a concept car first developed and presented by Cadillac in 2003. The vehicle is equipped with a Cadillac proprietary-developed aluminum 32-valve V16 engine displacing 13.6 liters (829 cu. in; 13,584 cc), which was exc ...

concept car,

Hummer H2 The Hummer H2 is a full-size off-road sport utility vehicle (SUV) that was marketed by Hummer and built in the AM General facility under contract from General Motors from 2002 until 2009. It is based on a modified GMT820 GM three-quarter-ton pi ...

Chevrolet SSR The Chevrolet SSR (Super Sport Roadster) is a retro-styled and retractable hardtop convertible pickup truck manufactured by Chevrolet between 2003 and 2006. During the 2003 and 2004 model years, the SSR used General Motors' 5.3 L '' Vor ...

, and many other vehicles, including the

Cadillac CTS The Cadillac CTS is a luxury car, manufactured and marketed by General Motors from 2003 until 2019 across three generations. Initially available as a 4-door sedan using the GM Sigma platform, GM offered the second generation CTS in 4-door ...

introduced in 2002. Cherry retired from General Motors on January 1, 2004.

Automobiles designed

As Design Director at Vauxhall & Opel: *1975-1981 Vauxhall Cavalier Mark I (front end only) *1978

Vauxhall Equus The Vauxhall Equus was a two-door concept car first presented by Vauxhall in spring, 1978. The word equus is Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Lati ...

concept *1988-1995 Vauxhall Cavalier Mark III/ Opel Vectra A *1989-1997

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( , ) is an area of South London, within the London Borough of Lambeth. Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Va ...

/ Opel Calibra (with Erhard Schnell) *1994-1999 Opel Omega B1 (with Herbert Kilmer) Opel Kadett E(1980s-1990s) As Vice President of Design for GM: *1995-1999

Chevrolet Tahoe The Chevrolet Tahoe (), and its Rebadging, badge-engineered GMC Yukon counterpart, are full-size SUVs and other trucks from General Motors, offered since 1994 and 1991, respectively. Since 1982, Chevrolet and GMC (General Motors division), GMC ...

*1995-1999

GMC Yukon GMC may refer to: Government India * Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation, in Gujarat * Gobichettipalayam Municipal Corporation, in Tamil Nadu * Guntur Municipal Corporation, in Andhra Pradesh * Guwahati Municipal Corporation, in Assam * Gwalior ...

*1999-2007

Chevrolet Silverado The Chevrolet Silverado is a range of trucks manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand. Introduced for the 1999 model year, the Silverado is the successor to the long-running Chevrolet C/K model line. Taking its name from the to ...

*1999-2007

GMC Sierra The Chevrolet Silverado is a range of trucks manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand. Introduced for the 1999 model year, the Silverado is the successor to the long-running Chevrolet C/K model line. Taking its name from the t ...

*2000-2005

Chevrolet Monte Carlo The Chevrolet Monte Carlo is a two-door coupe that was manufactured and marketed by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. Deriving its name from the Monte Carlo, city in Monaco, the Monte Carlo was marketed as the first personal luxury car ...

*2000-2006

Chevrolet Suburban The Chevrolet Suburban is a series of SUVs built by Chevrolet since the 1935 model year. The longest-used automobile nameplate in the world, the Chevrolet Suburban is currently in its twelfth generation, introduced for 2021. Beginning life a ...

*2000-2006 GMC Yukon XL *2000-2006

*2000-2006

*2003-2006

*2007-2014

*2007-2014 GMC Yukon XL *2007-2014

*2007-2014

*2002-2009

(oversaw design) *1996-1999

Pontiac Bonneville The Pontiac Bonneville is a model line of full-size or mid-size FR (until 1987) or FF cars manufactured and marketed by Pontiac from 1957 until 2005. The Bonneville (marketed as the Parisienne in Canada until 1981), and its platform partne ...

(Note: Cherry designed the facelifted Bonneville for the 1996-1999 model years.) *2000-2005

*2006-2010

*1997-2004

Buick Regal The Buick Regal is a line of mid-size cars marketed by Buick since 1973. Serving as the premium mid-size/intermediate car of the Buick product range for nearly its entire production, the Regal initially served as the divisional counterpart of t ...

*1997-2005

Buick Century Buick Century is the model name that was used by Buick for a line of upscale full-size cars from 1936 to 1942 and 1954 to 1958, as well as from 1973 to 2005 for mid-size cars. The first Buick Century debuted as the Series 60 then renamed in 193 ...

*1997-2003

Chevrolet Malibu The Chevrolet Malibu is a mid-size car that was manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet from 1964 to 1983 and from 1997 to 2025. The Malibu began as a trim-level of the Chevrolet Chevelle, becoming its own model line in 1978. Originally a rear-w ...

*1999-2000

Cadillac Escalade The Cadillac Escalade is a full-size luxury SUV manufactured by General Motors and marketed by their luxury division Cadillac. It was the luxury brand's first major entry into the SUV market. The Escalade was introduced for the 1999 model year ...

*2000-2005

Cadillac DeVille The Cadillac DeVille is a model name used by Cadillac over eight generations, originally to designate a trim level of the 1949 Cadillac Series 62 and later for a standalone model in the brand range. The last model marketed specifically as a ''D ...

*2002-2006

*2003-2007

*2004-2005 Chevrolet Classic (fleet sales only) *2003

concept car

Awards

The 1993 Opel Corsa received 20 international design awards. In 1999, the

Global Automotive Elections Foundation The Car of the Century (COTC) is an international award that was given to the world's most influential car of the 20th century. The election process was overseen by the Global Automotive Elections Foundation. The winner, the Ford Model T, was annou ...

nominated Cherry to a group of twenty-five designers competing for Car Designer of the Century. In June 2013, Cherry received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology.

References

External links

W. K. Cherry Design LLC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cherry, Wayne General Motors designers Opel designers Living people 1937 births Artists from Indianapolis