Courting America’s Auto Giants
Italdesign has long been a prominent name in the automotive industry thanks to its iconic car designs, but this time, the company is strengthening its presence in the U.S. According to Car and Driver, Italdesign is investing $20 million over the next five years to expand its U.S. operations while aiming to deepen ties with the Big Three: Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis.
This would not be the first time Italdesign has worked with Detroit automakers. The company created the Giugiaro Ford Mustang in 2006, named after founder Giorgetto Giugiaro, as well as the Chevrolet Corvette Moray in 2003. Other notable Italdesign creations include the Volkswagen Golf, DMC DeLorean, BMW M1, and Hyundai Pony – the latter serving as inspiration for the Ioniq 5 EV.
Detroit And Beyond
Italdesign was blunt about the reason for wanting to work with the Big Three. Fabrizio Mina, CEO of Italdesign-Giugiaro USA, told the publication, “We want to have a long-lasting relationship with the big players.” However, the firm is not closing its doors to startups and niche brands, which could benefit newer players, especially those looking to develop EVs.
Given the popularity of the Big Three in the U.S., Italdesign could definitely benefit from the momentum to land more big-ticket projects. The company appears to have become less publicly visible in recent years, with the Nissan GT-R50 – a special-edition GT-R R35 commemorating the 50th anniversaries of both the GT-R and the Italian design firm – standing as one of its most notable modern projects.
In addition to its design department, Italdesign also plans to contribute to the engineering side of development, even demonstrating its New Concept Lab, which provides simulated vehicle interiors for testing and validation.
The New Rules Of Car Design
Italdesign operates from an office in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, which opened in 2024. Having operations across different time zones allows the company to work more efficiently while still benefiting from access to its headquarters near Turin, Italy, which is staffed by a team of around 1,300 employees.
This venture is a good sign for the industry, especially as many automotive design houses appear less prominent today than they were before the 21st century. That is likely because more automakers have brought design in-house through global design studios, while modern cars have become more engineering-constrained due to stricter crash requirements that limit design freedom.
As for Italdesign, the company says it can deliver around 500 pre-production vehicles per year.
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