This October, Cadillac opened its first experience centre in Europe – at a prime address on Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse. Head designer Magalie Debellis gave us a creative insight into what sets the brand’s e-fleet apart from its competition and what her goals are with her team. And then there was the matter of the masterpieces …
Adam: Magalie, many designers have a personal signature – which one is yours?
Magalie Debellis: My signature is my approach. So, rather not a classic element, but the way I create a design instead. I love fashion, art, architecture… to start a new project, I first question the general inspiration. I take a look at the brand, its heritage, but above all its future. What should a vision for tomorrow look like? And then I am reinterpreting this heritage. I love beautiful, but enjoy it even more when they are bold. I take a stance from the overall silhouette, it has to meet these demands. And I am adamant, my team knows that. It is important to me to always take ourselves to a new level together – that is exactly how the design should be. We work a lot with our hands and 3D models. Especially when a project is just being started. I want to feel things, model them, experience them.
How long does a design process take – starting from the first idea to the presentation?
I created the first sketch for the LYRIQ in 2018. This was followed by the first models in 3D form, true to scale. We also had a short film made and pushed ahead with production in parallel. At GM we work hand in hand, there is no silo mentality. I see my task in the process as accompanying it from the beginning to the end, but also shaping it. We coordinate with each other. The engineers, the designers and everyone else involved within the organisation. Each Cadillac is a collective work.
Are there things that make the LYRIQ special or rather set it apart from other models manufactured by other brands?
I would say that exactly one thing was really unique. We have created a completely new battery, the Ultium platform, for this car. It is a next-generation battery platform – or as I like to say: the battery rests between four wheels like a skateboard. And we were able to build on that in the truest sense of the word. We were able to completely redesign the configuration, based on a base with a powerful engine and a chassis that offered plenty of room to do so thanks to its mass. Our goal was to innovate elements that can be found in every car. We wanted to give expression to the car. Vertical headlights, a centre console that has been integrated in a way that allows for enough space for storage. We have transferred the technical possibilities into the design and, in my opinion, created an expressive Cadillac. The brand’s personality becomes visible in every single detail, even if the model is new.
At Cadillac, you are the «Head of Cadillac Advanced Design». What does the «Advance» mean for your work, for you personally?
The job as a car designer is exciting, you have to be enormously creative. But you must also always move ten steps ahead. You have to think far into the future. Which means developing a strategy and a vision together with your team that starts with the short term and does not really end with the long term. We are currently thinking about where Cadillac and the entire industry will, should, ought to be in ten years’ time.
That is definitely not an easy task …
Whenever a new model is launched, we are already thinking about the next
one, the next ones. Cadillac has a strong portfolio, but we always have the next generation in mind. Both the next generation of humankind and their needs in the future, but also the next generation of our technology and our design. We live a great dynamic within the team and the whole company. Everything we implement should be something special. We want to launch niche products that live up to the brand’s heritage but, above all, are in line with American luxury.
Magalie, you have been in the industry for many years. Is there such a thing as a masterpiece?
Basically, they are two masterpieces, if I may call them that. I designed the LYRIQ, but also the CELESTIQ. The latter model is the brand’s flagship. And I am very proud of both products, as they have had a lasting impact on the portfolio. They are the flagships of Cadillac’s electric division. And that makes me proud.
What are the next projects going to be?
In everything we do, we have Cadillac’s entire journey in mind. With the opening of the Experience Centre here in Zurich, the first in Europe, we are starting a new era. Our goal is to provide people around the world with the cars they want today and need tomorrow. We want to produce performance models that are trendsetting. And models that shape the future – especially the future of our industry.
And one last, very personal question: you are originally from France. What is it like to work with Americans in America?
They are definitely different cultures (laughs). But that is exactly what is important for our work. Working at Cadillac, but also at GM in general. The diversity of our team is the key to our success. Especially in a creative environment, different opinions, attitudes and also discussions are what is necessary. My personal advantage is that, as a Frenchwoman, I can look at the heritage of an American brand and thus also have the external view. While that is exciting, it is challenging as well. But it is great.
Photos Copyrights: Cadillac
