You may not know the name Hussein Al Attar, but you’re almost certainly aware of some or all of the cars he’s worked on during 14 years at the BMW Group and Designworks, and you’re about to become even more familiar with his work because his new role is Design Director at GM Advanced Design’s Pasadena Studio. That’s the same studio responsible for the second of three Corvette concept cars revealed last year, so Al Attar will be helping shape the future of GM’s cosmetic signature. Is he up to the task? His resume certainly indicates he is.
GM’s New Designer Has Worked for the Best in the Business
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Al Attar’s past experience includes design internships at AMG, Audi, and BMW. He also did some freelance work before spending time with Mercedes-Benz, ultimately becoming the lead exterior designer at BMW. There, he was responsible for the simply gorgeous F87 BMW M2, turning a beautiful shape into something taut and aggressive. While that was certainly a high point, he didn’t exclusively design pretty cars, and the BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo he was in charge of is proof.
It’s almost inconceivable that the man who designed something as well-proportioned as the first-gen M2 could also be the man who penned the awkward 6 Series GT, but hey, he’s not the one who decided such an unusual thing should be created in the first place. Another vehicle birthed under his design stewardship is the third-generation G06 BMW X6, which has evolved into something relatively good-looking over the years.
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In 2019, he moved to BMW’s advanced design studio in Los Angeles, Designworks, where he eventually became Director of Automotive Design, where he helped shape the BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDh racecar alongside Michael Scully. And as noted by BMW Blog, he was involved in the design of the elegant taillights on the G22 4 Series coupe.
Autoblog’s Take
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GM has acquired a versatile and highly skilled designer with plenty of experience in European cosmetics that appeal to a global audience, including the U.S. market. He’s capable of sculpting contemporary production vehicles and racecars alike, and at GM Advanced Design, he will likely be involved in conceptual exercises as well as helping to shape imminent arrivals, so he’ll be comfortable, even as adapting to American design will place him outside his usual space. Could he help style the C9 Corvette? That remains to be seen, but whatever he does work on, we expect it to be good. We’ll be watching closely.
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