With this news I can only assume that the Mercedes Benz group has purchased the Carlsbad facility with all equipment and machinery pre-installed from the previous owner, that means up to five surface plates, prototype build capabilities and spray booth. All this will allow the design team to present fullsize mock-up models entirely in house but this pending move from Irvine is an additional 50+ miles south so what does that mean to the existing workforce you may well ask.

The first thing that comes to mind is a relocation package of some description, I would want my team to be relatively close to reduce travel fatigue but look at the housing market at present, there’s little in way of movement. OK it’s summer, it’s the best time to move the kids, they’re out of school they can adapt but can I sell the house?

I wouldn’t want that headache going on straight away, trying to adjust the family to the new surroundings, leaving friends, schools and trying to familiarize myself with the new facility so I wouldn’t worry about that right now, I’ll just do the commute until things settle down then decide what’s best, no point in jumping too soon. For those with apartments and no commitments it’s a no brainer, just move.

Secondly if you don’t like the move I guess you can leave so I would imagine some type of severance pay for the hardcore who are dead against the move but for me, moving to larger premises is going to be fun. Plenty of room to move, fullsize models, the works, sounds good to me. So taking that all into consideration I would imagine that everyone will be filing their drawings or should I say archiving their images, cleaning tools and finalizing the current projects ready for an early July start.

So who would have been instrumental in this move?

I would imagine it would have been the newly appointed head of Strategic Advanced Design for Mercedes-Benz Cars, Gorden Wagener. Being already stationed here with the advanced group he would have seen the potential and cost saving in taking over an already turnkey operation and no doubt had visions for long term growth. This substantial facility is three times larger than his previous one so with that in mind I’m assuming there will be a significant amount of additional work in the very near future leading to a requirement of hiring new talent from all disciplines. That means designers, modelers and fabricators to shape those future products.

So what will happen to the old facility?

Who knows, the official word is it’s undecided but maybe with a bit of luck a start-up group will take it over, we’ll just have to wait and see.

The sad part of this story is, California is one of the leaders in setting trends due to its diverse nature and for the studio to be moved to Detroit is a big blow to the staff and possibly future products. Today the need for a competitve edge is paramount and without this Californian studio it could well accelerate the final chapter in their rocky existence. Chrysler was one of the first to recognize the importance of California as a forward thinking and cultural melting pot, allowing it to cash in on the latest trends but recent years have seen a dramatic downturn in fortune resulting in a marriage with Mercedes Benz and most recently a divorce. The recent takeover by Cerberus could well see a piece mealing of the car company in years to come especially if profitability looks unlikely.

I’m sure the surviving studios of Ford and GM are monitoring these events with a bated breath, considering whether to consolidate themselves as the continual squeeze on product sales erode away their market share. Without sales profits are slim leaving little to invest in future products let alone a standalone studio but that frontier studio could well be the difference between success and failure, given the latitude to design.

Still, with the dust up in the air only time will tell whether this was a move of genius or a move of desperation, either way as I see it, it’s one less quality design facility in Southern California.

This year the North American Car and Truck award goes to General Motors with the 49 automotive journalists appointing the Saturn Aura and the Cheverolet Silverado the winners, making it the second year in a row that one company has taken both honors, couple this with the turn around plan that Rick Wagoner has in place we could see some real momentum for 2007.

This was no easy feat when you think of the competition, the Saturn Aura edged out the Toyota Camry and the Honda Fit proving that the quality is there. The Silverado bettered the Ford Edge and the Mazda CX-7 to win its award. Now with some real contenders out in the marketplace what better time than to reveal the continual story of the Chevrolet Camaro with the Camaro convertible. With production penciled in for 2009 this will keep the palate salivating until the real vehicles emerge. Much to the Generals credit, this years offerings are all about quality and with the possible emergence of an alternative fuel vehicle such as the Chevrolet Volt, the tide could be finally turning.

With the roller coaster year 2006 behind us and 2007 starting off in good stead the comeback could be on for General Motors. The stock has stabilized at around $30.00 after Kerkorian the billionaire investor withdrew his support by selling all his stock, leaving little doubt that he was not impressed with the current offering, but now, was it a hasty move? New product is making its way to the marketplace at ever increasing speed, fresh and less quirky proving a good design doesn’t have to be extreme. Good money doesn’t buy extreme, good money buys sensible well thought-out reliable transportation.

The combined efforts of Rick Wagoner and Bob Lutz have put real emphasis on got to have products with real quality, leaving us with no doubt that the number one auto maker will not give up its crown without a fight. This year could be the turning point and with the automotive journalists giving their stamp of approval this could just be the beginning.

John W Shute founded IAD on his return to the United Kingdom after a spell in Australia with Chrysler as a draughtsman and body engineer. During his stay there he formed his own design engineering company in Melbourne but with a sense of urgency to be nearer to the hub of the automotive industry in Europe, it prompted him to return to the UK, hence the forming of IAD.

During the 80’s at the peak of the companies growth IAD was awarded with three Queen’s Awards for Exports while the word was spreading and customers coming in. I was fortunate to be part of that boom, working for the company from 1984 to 1993 in England, Europe and the United States. There was an impressive client list such as Rolls Royce, Bentley, Audi, Jaguar, Mazda, Honda and Kia just to name a few. Notable designers frequented the building during their programs such as J Mays and Martin Smith of Audi back then, Danny Yoon of Kia, Tom Matano of Mazda during the development of the Miata. The atmosphere was electric and projects were abundant.

Now we find ourselves 12-14 years in the future, the companies name has being resurrected by John’s son, Simon W Shute, starting the same way as his father did by offering contract positions for engineers. He has come a long way since those early days in the studio in Worthing, England where he would watch the clay modelers ply their trade and even try himself.

All I know is, the future is uncertain and competiton is more fierce than ever, it will be interesting to see if IAD will raise to that greatness once again.