PASADENA (CNS) - General Motors announced today an investment of more than $71 million to establish a new design and technology campus in Pasadena.
GM is relocating from its existing Advanced Design Center operations in North Hollywood to a nearly 149,000-square-foot campus at Rosemead Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue. The automotive giant recently purchased The Sierra, an eight-acre, three-building complex at the site that was built in 1988.
GM did not have an exact estimate of how many local jobs the new facility would create, but a company official said the new campus' regional positioning will provide GM with strategic access to the talent pipeline in the area.
"Having a physical presence in Southern California's technology epicenter is an integral part of our global design operations and this new innovation campus will not only expand our operations twofold, but offers access to the rich cultural diversity and talent in the region," said Michael Simcoe, vice president of Global Design for GM.
"Our positioning will allow us to attract dynamic candidates in fields that will bolster GM's proven design capabilities and challenge conventional thinking of what our future portfolio of connected products and services can encompass," he added.
GM's advanced design team focuses on developing concept and future mobility projects that fall outside the scope of existing production vehicle programs.
"The collaborative nature of this facility will provide our advanced design team, cross-functional groups, prospective employees and external partners with the environment they need to continually redefine the boundaries of future mobility," said Bryan Nesbitt, executive director of GM Global Advanced Design and Global Architecture Studios.
The current North Hollywood Design Center at 5350 Biloxi Ave. -- which marked its 20th anniversary last year -- will continue to be utilized for advanced design operations as work on the new facility is completed through the second half of 2022.