Hispanic Enterprise - February/March 2008 - (Page 15)

The HUMMER HX what Gen Y is The option to change conﬁgurations a blank canvas—how you want your vehicle to portray what you do and what you want it to do.” Unveiled in January at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the updated two-door, four-seater HX is smaller than the H3, the smallest HUMMER currently on the market. The excitement Rojas experienced in taking cars apart as a child may have inspired the HX’s transformable prototype. It is an open air, off-road vehicle with a convertible body that comes with removable parts—the roof panels, fender ﬂares and doors can all come off, depending on the driver’s style and preference. “You have more of the environment coming into the vehicle, more open air,” Rojas explains. The entire process—from concept to actual vehicle—took two years. The ﬁrst three months were devoted to sketching and development, then scale modeling, before going full-scale. That meant translating 2-D and 3-D models, tweaking dimensions and then reﬁning them in clay design. Then came presenting the design to GM management. HISPANIC ENTERPRISE DOSSIER Name: David G. Rojas Position: Creative Designer Company: GM Design/HUMMER Studio Specialty: Exterior Auto Design Previous Position: Designer/ Sculptor, RJ Studios, a Mattel subsidiary Internships: Daihatsu (Osaka, Japan), Ford (Detroit, Michigan), Converse Hometown: Born in Lima, Peru; raised in Philadelphia, PA Family Single Education: The Art Institute of Philadelphia (Industrial Design and Technology Associate Degree); College for Creative Studies, Detroit (B.F.A., Transportation Design) Tip: “I love coming to work; it’s fun!” “This project offered me the biggest challenge I’ve had I gave my take on what the evolution should be, and didn’t know if it would be received or dismissed.” It was accepted, and the three designers were given the green light to transform the model and create a full-sized concept. Environmentally-conscious Generation Y will appreciate that the HX is bio-fuel friendly—it can run on E85 ethanol, as well as unleaded regular. Perhaps the biggest attribute indicating this vehicle is meant for demanding, young, tech-savvy drivers is that it has no radio. Instead, the console houses a dock where MP3 players, iPods or iPhones can be plugged into a USB connector to play music, audible through integrated speakers inside. For now, the HX is still a concept vehicle. There is speculation the concept might be the foundation for the future HUMMER H4. The oppor tunity to design it is not lost on Rojas, who was born in Peru and moved to the United States when he was 7 years old. “It’s crazy I came out of school working on something this big. I’m honored and proud.” 15 February/March 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hispanic Enterprise - February/March 2008

Hispanic Enterprise - February/March 2008 Contents Briefcase: BIZBUZZ: Business Briefs Briefcase: Trendsetters Briefcase: BIZTECH: Virtually Meeting BizLife: Travel: Madrid's New Attraction Q & A: Mi Case es su Casa Hispanic Commerce: The Agenda Cover Story: The Top 50 Corporations for Supplier Diversity Technology: Hispanic Web 2.0 Success & Motivation: Sweetening the Deal Politics & Government: The Rescue Generation Managing: The Method Franchising: The Hispanic Face of Franchising Chamber Focus: It's Showtime Movers & Shakers: Open for Business Finance & Investing: Getting Your 401(K) on Target

Hispanic Enterprise - February/March 2008

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