Ep. 39 | General Motors’ Vehicle Chief Engineer on the Tech and Passion of Automotive Design

Moore's Lobby: Where engineers talk all about circuits

Everybody knows cars are becoming more like computers than mechanical devices. Few know this better than Mark Allen, Global Vehicle Chief Engineer at GM, a company that’s been defining the American automotive business for a century. As an engineer who is also a car nut raised in the heart of American automotive manufacturing, Mark has a long view on the history and challenges of vehicle design.

The engineering that goes into making modern cars has changed enormously, to the point that Mark claims there are few purely mechanical systems left as electromechanical systems take over. This trend has also resulted in a blending of mechanical and electrical engineering tasks and skill sets, to the point that Mark says they barely distinguish between the two disciplines on the job. But, no matter what field they hail from, he says, engineers will never stop perfecting their craft, which is why the automotive industry has the performance and safety it does today.

In this episode of Moore’s Lobby, catch conversation between Daniel and Mark about:

• How new technologies like backup cams evolve from novelties to luxuries to expected to mandated
• The cost of electronics in modern cars (and why that’s harder to quantify than you might think)
• Designing cars vs. designing smartphones and how durability impacts product lifespan

Mark’s pure love of automotive carries through in this episode as he explains the lofty goals of the automotive industry, the difference having an EE CEO can make, and the (sometimes literal) highs and lows of vehicle testing.