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John Manoogian II

{{short description|Automobile designer}}

{{Infobox person

| name = John Manoogian II

| image =

| birth_date = July 23, 1947{{cite web

|title = Manoogian, John

|publisher = The Henry Ford

|author =

|date =

|url = https://www.dalnetarchive.org/handle/11061/6307https://www.collegeforcreativestudies.edu/person/john-manoogian-ii/}}

| death_date =

| occupation = {{flatlist|

}}

| known_for =

| notable_works = {{flatlist|

|title = John Manoogian II Adjunct Faculty

|publisher = Motor Trend

|author = Wesley Allison

|date = February 1, 2008

|url = https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/cadillac-cts-coupe-concept-2/}}

}}

}}

John Manoogian II (born July 23, 1947) is an automobile designer, industrial designer, adjunct faculty member, and automotive industry expert. He is known for his nearly 33-year career with General Motors,{{cite web

|title = John Manoogian II Adjunct Faculty

|publisher = College for Creative Studies

|author =

|date =

|url = https://www.collegeforcreativestudies.edu/person/john-manoogian-ii/}} where he designed for the company's Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saturn, Buick, Oldsmobile and Cadillac divisions.

At Cadillac, Manoogian's work ranged from the hastily conceived and oft-derided Cimarron to the second generation Cadillac CTS Coupe, winner of the Motor Trend Car of the Year, Best Concept Car Design & Best Vehicle Design award at the 2008 North American International Auto Show,{{cite web

|title = John Manoogian

|publisher = Forzabitz, Inc.

|date =

|url = http://www.forzablitz.com/}} as well as the production and concept categories at EyesOn Design, an event judged by noted vehicle designers.

After General Motors, Manoogian has served on the faculty at the College of Creative Studies as well as design director with Quadrobot Corporation, developers of a last mile, autonomous electric delivery vehicle.

Manoogian contributes regularly online at Driven to Write, recounting his design career under the byline JM2.{{cite web

|title = Never a Dull Moment -- Part Eight

|publisher = Driventowrite.com

|date = November 13, 2024

|url = https://driventowrite.com/2024/11/13/never-a-dull-moment-part-eight/}}

Early life

Manoogian was born in Detroit to Rose Violet Manoogian (1922–2018){{cite web

|title = Rose Violet Manoogian

|publisher = Legacy.com

|date =

|url = https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/20366106/ROSE-VIOLET-MANOOGIAN}} and John Albert Manoogian (1921–2016), a former Marine in World War II{{cite web

|title = Detroit spends billions to scuttle old image

|publisher = Christian Science Monitor

|date = October 19, 1981

|author = Charles E. Dole

|url = https://www.csmonitor.com/1981/1019/101934.html}} — and later, manager of the Alpha Project, Ford Motor Company's advanced manufacturing program.{{cite web

|title = BUSINESS PEOPLE; Ford Picks Manager For Alpha Project

|work = The New York Times

|date = May 9, 1986

|url = https://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/09/business/business-people-ford-picks-manager-for-alpha-project.html}}{{cite news

|title = Ford Steers New Course

|newspaper = Washington Post

|author = Warren Brown

|date = November 17, 1985

|url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1985/11/17/ford-steers-new-course/3877f662-e492-423c-b7cc-fce951956747/}}

Manoogian grew up in Michigan and after working as a designer/clay sculptor for Ford Motor Company,{{cite web

|title = Designers' Choice: Industry Pros Pick Their Favorite Camaro

|publisher = Motor TRend

|date = August 15, 2016

|author = Frank Markus

|url = https://www.motortrend.com/features/chevrolet-camaro-designer-favorites/}} returned to school and received a B.A. in Transportation Design from the Art Center College of Design, Los Angeles— and subsequently an M.B.A. from Oakland University, Rochester, MI.

Career

{{quote box

| width = 255px

| quote =

On the Cadillac CTS Coupe: "the car's development cost was paid when the company did the sedan. All of the internal architecture, the drivetrain, the cowl, and most of the components, are those of the sedan and have, thereby, already been budgeted. So, this car is pretty close to a freebie, as an investment by the company."

| source = John Manoogian II{{cite web

| title = the-cadillac-cts-coupe

| work = Topspeed

| date = January 8, 2014

| url = https://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/the-cadillac-cts-coupe-ar50855/}}

}}

{{quote box

| width = 255px

| quote =

On the Cadillac CTS Coupe: "Each line and angle of the bodywork was carefully honed, and the final design's proportions were judged by the eyes of the design team, not computer-generated math data."

| source = John Manoogian II{{cite web

| title = Cadillac CTS Coupe Concept

| work = Car Body Design

| date = January 22, 2008

| url = https://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2008/01/22-cadillac-cts-coupe-concept/}}

}}

File:1982 Cadillac Cimarron, front left.jpg, front]]

After joining the General Motors Design Staff in 1976, Manoogian acted as Assistant Chief Designer at Saturn Exterior, Pontiac Exterior, Cadillac Exterior; Chief Designer at Pontiac Exterior; Executive Vehicle Chief Designer at Buick, Chevrolet, Pontiac Exterior; and Director of Design at Cadillac Exterior. He designed two presidential limousines, 2006 and 2009;{{cite web

|title = Concours d'Elegance

|publisher = Cadillac Fall Festival

|url = https://www.cadillacfallfestival.com/concours}} and interviewed and hired college graduates for design positions at GM Design. He has served as a Sheet Metal Subject Matter Expert and holds 3 design patents. Manoogian had the task of proposing which vehicles to sell and which to keep from the more than 900 in the GM Heritage Center's pre-bankruptcy collection.{{cite web

|title=1987 Pontiac Bonneville Clay

|author=Mike Rosa

|date=September 27, 2014

|url=http://autosofinterest.com/2014/06/20/interview-with-john-manoogian-ii/

|website=Autos of Interest

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905212933/http://autosofinterest.com/2014/06/20/interview-with-john-manoogian-ii/

|archive-date=September 5, 2017

|url-status=dead}}

Manoogian formed a design consultancy, Forzablitz, and has acted as an automotive design patent expert witness. He taught for seven years at the College of Creative Studies. As an industry speaker, he has addressed the Industrial Designer's Society of America Annual Michigan conference on Transportation and the Portland Art Museum and has participated with numerous car clubs; appeared in the documentary "Detroit in Overdrive;" and acted as a design judge at the La Jolla, California Concours d'Elegance,

Meadowbrook Concours, and EyesOn Design Automotive Design Exhibition.

In 2020, Manoogian served as Director of Design for Quadrobot Corporation, founded in 2017 by Mike Tianye Wang, a former student of Manoogian. The company is developing an autonomous, electric last mile delivery vehicle.{{cite web

| title = Design Pro Talks Quadrobots, Teslas & More

| work = Garner Business Media, On Automotive

| author = Gary S. Vasilash

| date = February 10, 2020

| url = https://www.gardnerweb.com/articles/design-pro-talks-quadrobots-teslas-more}}

As an industry insider, Manoogian continues to participate in automotive discussions and roundtables, often sharing his personal experience as a designer. On the YouTube Rare Classic Cars & Automotive History channel, he has conducted a series of interviews illuminating the car design process and his experience designing particular models.{{cite web

| title = 1997-2003 Pontiac Grand Prix Design (with John Manoogian) - Part 1

| work = Rare Classic Cars & Automotive History Channel

| author = Adam Wade

| date =

| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsuhjlaPCd4}}

=Portfolio=

File:2012 Cadillac CTS coupe, rear 12.31.19.jpg coupe]]

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • [https://www.coroflot.com/jm2/Saturn-Design-Studio-1984-1987 Manoogian Sketch Book]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Manoogian II, John}}

Category:Ford people

Category:General Motors designers

Category:American automobile designers

Category:Automotive businesspeople

Category:1947 births

Category:Living people