By: Chris Perkins, Senior Writer and Editor, GM News
By: Chris Perkins, Senior Writer and Editor, GM News
As a kid, Mohamed Outabachi loved cars and drawing. Naturally, those passions coalesced quickly in his youth, when he spent much of his time drawing cars. Today, he’s doing the same thing as a Creative Designer for Chevrolet Performance Exteriors at GM.
Born and raised just outside Detroit, Outabachi’s love for cars and drawing got some direction after a visit to the North American International Auto Show.
“I was around 12 when my dad took me to the Auto Show and I found out about car design,” Outabachi tells GM News. They visited a booth for the College of Creative Studies (CCS), a Detroit school with a world-renowned Transportation Design program, one where many future GM designers honed their craft. “They had small-scale models and sketches on display, and a representative talking about careers in automotive design.”
Until that moment, Outabachi didn’t know automotive design was a possible career; after that encounter, he knew it was exactly what he wanted to do.
However, Outabachi didn’t follow a straightforward path to GM Design.
“I became a certified nursing assistant, I worked at a car wash, I worked in a bakery, I worked in a mechanic shop,” he says. “I also really wanted to serve my community and be a part of something greater.”
A friend of his had enlisted in the Marines, and Outabachi decided to follow suit. This would both be an opportunity to serve, and a step towards making his car-designer aspirations a reality. With the aid of the G.I. Bill, he could enroll in a degree program for automotive or transportation design when he reentered civilian life.
As a Sergeant in the Marines, one of Outabachi’s posts was at Camp Lejune in North Carolina, where he was part of the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. One day, when walking through the service bays, he noticed three words stamped on the engine of one of the unit’s Light Armored Vehicles (LAV): Made in Detroit.
“It just brought me back home when I saw that,” Outabachi recalls. “I realized that everything is connected.”
Throughout his service, his automotive passion never waned. In his free time, he continued to sketch cars.
“My gunnery sergeant came up to me one day and asked why I was always sketching cars and not something else,” Outabachi says. “I told him I was practicing the work I hoped to do after my service. He told me, ‘I’m sure you’ll get there.’ It was one of those moments you never forget.”
Outabachi was on active deployment in 2017 and 2018, but after the birth of his son, he decided to retire from active duty. A few months after returning home, he enrolled in CCS. “It was quite a transition,” he says. As a student, it took him a while to realize he no longer had to wake up at 5 A.M., for example.
During his time at CCS, he remained in the Marines as a reservist. During a Marines event held in downtown Detroit during that time, Outabachi took a photo in front of GM headquarters in uniform. He thought, “if I could work there, this would be a moment, a dream come true” he says. He didn’t have to wait long.
CCS organizes an annual Industry Day for students to present their work to design professionals in the automotive business. Outabachi’s work caught the eye of Michael Simcoe, then GM’s Vice President of Global Design.
“He said, ‘I’ll give you a call,’” Outabachi recalls. “As soon as I got home from the event, I got a call from someone at GM asking if I could interview next week. My heart was beating so fast, I was so excited.”
Outabachi joined GM Design in 2022 and was placed on a two-year program that would see him rotate through different studios, working across multiple brands and in exterior and interior design. During the rotation, he worked with the Corvette design team, contributing to the CX Concept, and joined the studio once the two-year program was complete.
“The Corvette is such an important part of American history,” Outabachi says. “It’s an honor to be a part of that team.”
One of the joys of the job is working with the people who designed some of his favorite cars. Growing up, he loved the C5 Corvette and the original Cadillac CTS—now, the people who shaped those vehicles are his peers.
He’s also found community in GM Design.
“I always worried that I wouldn’t be able to replicate the friendships and camaraderie that I built at the Marine Corps,” Outabachi says. “But here, I’ve found a home. We’re all like-minded individuals. We all love cars.” Not only that, but there are also many other military veterans working throughout GM Design. “I’m always happy to bump into others on the same path,” he says.
Even after becoming a father, a Marine veteran, and a member of the GM Design team, Outbachi wasn’t done chasing his goals. He just bought a Buick Grand National, “my dream car,” he says.
So now, he can drive one GM Design icon to work while penning the next generation.
As a kid, Mohamed Outabachi loved cars and drawing. Naturally, those passions coalesced quickly in his youth, when he spent much of his time drawing cars. Today, he’s doing the same thing as a Creative Designer for Chevrolet Performance Exteriors at GM.
Born and raised just outside Detroit, Outabachi’s love for cars and drawing got some direction after a visit to the North American International Auto Show.
“I was around 12 when my dad took me to the Auto Show and I found out about car design,” Outabachi tells GM News. They visited a booth for the College of Creative Studies (CCS), a Detroit school with a world-renowned Transportation Design program, one where many future GM designers honed their craft. “They had small-scale models and sketches on display, and a representative talking about careers in automotive design.”
Until that moment, Outabachi didn’t know automotive design was a possible career; after that encounter, he knew it was exactly what he wanted to do.
However, Outabachi didn’t follow a straightforward path to GM Design.
“I became a certified nursing assistant, I worked at a car wash, I worked in a bakery, I worked in a mechanic shop,” he says. “I also really wanted to serve my community and be a part of something greater.”
A friend of his had enlisted in the Marines, and Outabachi decided to follow suit. This would both be an opportunity to serve, and a step towards making his car-designer aspirations a reality. With the aid of the G.I. Bill, he could enroll in a degree program for automotive or transportation design when he reentered civilian life.
As a Sergeant in the Marines, one of Outabachi’s posts was at Camp Lejune in North Carolina, where he was part of the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. One day, when walking through the service bays, he noticed three words stamped on the engine of one of the unit’s Light Armored Vehicles (LAV): Made in Detroit.
“It just brought me back home when I saw that,” Outabachi recalls. “I realized that everything is connected.”
Throughout his service, his automotive passion never waned. In his free time, he continued to sketch cars.
“My gunnery sergeant came up to me one day and asked why I was always sketching cars and not something else,” Outabachi says. “I told him I was practicing the work I hoped to do after my service. He told me, ‘I’m sure you’ll get there.’ It was one of those moments you never forget.”
Outabachi was on active deployment in 2017 and 2018, but after the birth of his son, he decided to retire from active duty. A few months after returning home, he enrolled in CCS. “It was quite a transition,” he says. As a student, it took him a while to realize he no longer had to wake up at 5 A.M., for example.
During his time at CCS, he remained in the Marines as a reservist. During a Marines event held in downtown Detroit during that time, Outabachi took a photo in front of GM headquarters in uniform. He thought, “if I could work there, this would be a moment, a dream come true” he says. He didn’t have to wait long.
CCS organizes an annual Industry Day for students to present their work to design professionals in the automotive business. Outabachi’s work caught the eye of Michael Simcoe, then GM’s Vice President of Global Design.
“He said, ‘I’ll give you a call,’” Outabachi recalls. “As soon as I got home from the event, I got a call from someone at GM asking if I could interview next week. My heart was beating so fast, I was so excited.”
Outabachi joined GM Design in 2022 and was placed on a two-year program that would see him rotate through different studios, working across multiple brands and in exterior and interior design. During the rotation, he worked with the Corvette design team, contributing to the CX Concept, and joined the studio once the two-year program was complete.
“The Corvette is such an important part of American history,” Outabachi says. “It’s an honor to be a part of that team.”
One of the joys of the job is working with the people who designed some of his favorite cars. Growing up, he loved the C5 Corvette and the original Cadillac CTS—now, the people who shaped those vehicles are his peers.
He’s also found community in GM Design.
“I always worried that I wouldn’t be able to replicate the friendships and camaraderie that I built at the Marine Corps,” Outabachi says. “But here, I’ve found a home. We’re all like-minded individuals. We all love cars.” Not only that, but there are also many other military veterans working throughout GM Design. “I’m always happy to bump into others on the same path,” he says.
Even after becoming a father, a Marine veteran, and a member of the GM Design team, Outbachi wasn’t done chasing his goals. He just bought a Buick Grand National, “my dream car,” he says.
So now, he can drive one GM Design icon to work while penning the next generation.