In January, General Motors issued a challenge–and a signed check–to BYU students: Design a car to compete with the revived VW Bug.
With the GM grant, groups of industrial design students spent four months working on plans for a Bug rival, using the same advanced computer software system used to animate scenes in the movies Toy Story and Titanic. One group even completed a 1/4 scale model of its vehicle, code name Frog.
Students presented their concepts to John Taylor, leader of GM’s Advanced Portfolio Exploration team, during a visit to BYU in April.
BYU was the only university in the nation selected by GM to participate in this project. In addition to having the opportunity to present designs to GM, top students were interviewed by GM officials for design jobs and internships.
Taylor said BYU’s design program prepares quality graduates and that his company plans to interview BYU students on a regular basis.
