Nicolas Huet took on his new role as exterior design director at GM PATAC on March 1, 2013. Reporting to design director Holt Ware, he is one of two new senior-level appointments at GM PATAC in as many months, joining Alan Nichol who was promoted to interior design director around the same time.
Huet, a 20-year BMW veteran responsible for the design of the 1 Series, 6 Series Gran Coupe and the 4 Series as well as the Zagato Coupe, has worked on numerous projects during his time at BMW. He tells Form Trends that his decision to leave the German company was not taken lightly, but that he was very interested in a new challenge in China.
“I was living and working in Germany for 20 years. That’s a long time. I felt I was part of the inventory there,” Huet told Form Trends of his time at BMW. “I felt I needed a new kick in life – and in my professional life. BMW is still a very small company.”
Huet, a graduate from Art Center now-defunct European arm in Switzerland, is credited with the design of the F20 BMW 1-Series (and the F21 five-door version), the E61 5-Series Touring, E65 7-Series facelift and the F32 4-Series coupe. During his tenure at BMW, he was also project manager for the BMW Zagato Coupe — revealed at the 2012 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este — and designed the graphics and livery for BMW racecars and the Williams F1 team, including the BMW Sauber F1 racecar.
Now that he’s at GM PATAC, Huet is leading the exterior design team, most of whom are Chinese. He is working on a number of projects for GM’s global brands as well as domestic projects for joint venture partner SAIC.
“It’s a different world. You’re in China, you have the Chinese culture and you have all the GM experience. This mixture creates incredible energy and they’re both pulling each other forward,” says Huet.
