Franz von Holzhausen explained

Franz von Holzhausen
Birth Date:10 May 1968
Birth Place:Simsbury, Connecticut, United States
Education:Syracuse University (1986–1988),
ArtCenter College of Design (1988–1992, BS in Transportation Design)[1]
Occupation:Chief Designer, Tesla Inc.
Spouse:Vicki von Holzhausen[2]
Children:2[3]

Franz von Holzhausen (born May 10, 1968) is an American[4] vehicle designer. Since 2008, he has been in charge of design at Tesla, Inc.[5] He led design for the Tesla Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Semi, Cybertruck, and Tesla Roadster (second generation).[6] Prior to Tesla, he worked in design at Mazda, General Motors, and Volkswagen.

Career

In 1992, von Holzhausen started his career with Volkswagen, where he worked on the design for the New Beetle concept project, known as "Concept One," under design lead J Mays.[7]

In 2000, he moved to General Motors as a design manager, where he worked on the Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice.[8]

In 2005, he took a role at Mazda, where he was chief of design.[9] He led the designs of the Mazda Kabura concept car that debuted at the 2006 North American International Auto Show and of the Mazda Furai concept car that was unveiled at the 2008 North American International Auto Show, both in Detroit.[10] [11]

In 2008, he went to work for Tesla, where he led the design of vehicles including the Model S, Model 3, Model X,[12] Model Y,[13] Semi,[14] second-generation Tesla Roadster,[15] and Cybertruck. He became known to a wide audience as the result of inadvertently smashing the windows of the Cybertruck during an unveiling event.[16] [17]

Personal life

Von Holzhausen was born in Simsbury, Connecticut.[18] His father was an industrial designer.[19] An internship with his father's company introduced him to the ArtCenter College of Design where he eventually got his degree.[20]

Von Holzhausen is married to Vicki von Holzhausen (née Vlachakis), whom he met when they were both automotive designers at General Motors.[21] Vicki is now the founder and CEO of von Holzhausen, a company that develops sustainable materials for the fashion and automotive industries.[22]

Notes and References

  1. News: Peters . Emma . August 4, 2015 . Five things we know about Tesla's elusive chief designer . Yahoo Finance . November 7, 2020.
  2. Web site: September 14, 2017 . After jobs at Audi and Mercedes-Benz, Vicki von Holzhausen is redesigning fashion accessories in a big way . December 27, 2020 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  3. News: Segran . Elizabeth . March 19, 2021 . Tesla and Mercedes-Benz were just the warm-up act for this design power couple . . June 13, 2021.
  4. Web site: July 24, 2021 . Designer Franz von Holzhausen: Courageous visionary . July 27, 2021 . Archyde.
  5. News: 2008 . Exclusive: Franz von Holzhausen joins Tesla Motors . cardesignnews.com . dead . March 19, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080809194001/http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/home/rss_display/item128801/ . August 9, 2008.
  6. News: Loveday . Eric . April 30, 2009 . Tesla Model S Designer Franz von Holzhausen Reveals How Perfectionism Drives Design . GreenCarReports.com . March 19, 2016.
  7. News: Loh . Edward . October 1, 2012 . Designers on Design: Franz von Holzhausen on the McLaren P1 . . March 19, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160326100423/http://www.motortrend.com/designers-on-design-franz-von-holzhausen-on-the-mclaren-p1-269551.html . March 26, 2016.
  8. Web site: August 4, 2008 . MAZDA DESIGNER VON HOLZHAUSEN BOLTS FOR TESLA . August 28, 2018 . Autoweek.
  9. Web site: Nagy . Bob . September 26, 2006 . First Drive: Mazda Kabura Concept . December 28, 2020 . Motor Trend.
  10. Web site: April 20, 2010 . Franz von Holzhausen Joins Tesla Motors as Chief Designer . August 28, 2018 . Tesla.
  11. Web site: June 24, 2008 . Mazda Furai – Kelley Blue Book Interviews Franz Von Holzhausen – YouTube . live . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/cqj4R7KGXxY . December 21, 2021 . December 28, 2020 . www.youtube.com.
  12. Web site: January 15, 2013 . Detroit 2013: Tesla's Family Will Grow . https://web.archive.org/web/20131012050953/http://rumors.automobilemag.com/tesla-in-detroit-our-family-will-grow-197263.html . October 12, 2013 . April 12, 2015 . automobilemag.com.
  13. Web site: March 16, 2019 . Why Tesla Model Y 3rd Row Is Key To It Becoming The Best Selling Vehicle In The World .
  14. Web site: Pettitt . Jeniece . Tesla's chief designer for the Cybertruck on working with Elon Musk and how his favorite design is one he can't talk about yet . December 2, 2022 . CNBC . en.
  15. News: Mark Vaughn . November 17, 2017 . Tesla Roadster Sounds Incredible But Will It Be That Good? . AutoWeek .
  16. Web site: Vincent . James . November 25, 2019 . Elon Musk explains why Tesla’s Cybertruck windows smashed during presentation . August 10, 2023 . The Verge . en-US.
  17. News: Mak . Aaron . November 22, 2019 . Here Is What Will and Won’t Break Tesla’s New Cybertruck . en-US . Slate . August 10, 2023 . 1091-2339.
  18. Web site: 2012-09-15 . Tesla Delivers State’s First Model S, Electric Car Designed By Simsbury Native . 2024-06-02 . Hartford Courant . en-US.
  19. Web site: Walford . Lynn . November 7, 2022 . Creating the Cybertruck & Vehicles that Change Lives – Tesla Designer Franz von Holzhausen . May 21, 2023 . The NewsMarket . en.
  20. Web site: Afnan . Salman Ahmed . April 30, 2023 . The Tesla Master Designer: Turning Musk’s Vision to Life . May 21, 2023 . Tech Inspection . en-us.
  21. Web site: McClain . James . May 15, 2022 . Tesla’s Chief Designer Pays $51 Million for Adam Levine’s Palisades Estate . May 21, 2023 . DIRT . en-US.
  22. Web site: Hagman . Brian . 2024-01-31 . von Holzhausen: Interview with Founder & CEO, Vicki von Holzhausen . 2024-03-19 . The EV Report . en-US.

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