Chinese brand hires former Holden ‘secret weapon’
GWM has made its ambitions clear with the hiring of the man who helped shape Holden’s best models.
The man who helped Holden create world-class cars has been head-hunted by Chinese powerhouse, GWM. Rob Trubiani, who worked at Holden for nearly 25 years, has been hired to become GWM’s product engineering manager.
While Trubiani’s name may not be familiar to all, his work will be to anyone who drove a VE or VF Commodore. He worked behind-the-scenes as Holden’s lead engineer for vehicle dynamics for more than half his tenure at Holden, helping to tune the chassis, suspension and steering to suit Australian conditions and buyer expectations.
GWM is hoping he can bring that Australian-specific knowledge to its Chinese products across its brands, which include Haval SUVs, Tank off-roaders and Cannon utes. The company is already established inside the best-selling brands in the country, but it clearly believes further localisation will help elevate it up the sales charts.
“We are delighted to have secured Rob as our new product engineering manager,” said GWM head of marketing and communications, Steve Maciver. “With a wealth of local ride and handling experience, we’re confident that Rob can help deliver an even better in-vehicle experience for our customers.
“With GWM now an established top 10 brand in Australia, this is a commitment to all our local customers that delivering the best possible products for local tastes is a core part of our plans moving forward.”
While much of Trubiani’s Holden work was behind-the-scenes, his most high-profile job came in 2013, when he was charged with setting a new lap record at Germany’s Nurburgring in the VF Commodore SS-V Redline ute.
Check out the video below of Trubiani lapping the ‘Ring.
