New Videos of Chevrolet Autobots and Images From 2009 Chicago Auto Show

Hi Guys,

My name is Stephen Gray and I am a designer at GM.

As you no doubt know already we are showing 5 vehicles at the Chicago Auto Show which are the actual props from the new Transformers Movie. There is also a full sized Bumblebee in robot form and an exclusive trailer.

If any of you who have questions for GM design, I will do my best to answer them!

There are some vids here (including the trailer):

hidden_stingray_021109 | GMtv

If you get the chance you should go down to the show to check it out!

Stephen.

PS: Sideswipe is HOT.

I got a question

Where is Sunstreaker?


Just kidding, thanks for coming out here and posting this for us!

Thanks for the info. Really appreciate your time and effort! One question. Did Michael Bay or anyone from the movie production have any say in the cars' designs? Or did you guys just say "Here they are, let's see what you can do with them"?

would have been so sweet if they transformerd at the end of that trailer

Thanks for joining and for the info ^^

Brutus: We did not have a say on who was in the film! You will have to ask Michael Bay on that one!

Wolfbrother: Michael Bay did not have input on the designs, before production he got the chance to do a full studio tour of GM in North America. He picked the cars you see in the trailer (and even added one or two from his original plan based on what he saw)

Hi GM designer


Why was it denied that the Volt was a transformer?

OptimusPie: Yeah!! That would have been awesome. However it is good to keep some secrets

Knook: No problem, I have always been into Transformers!

OptimusPie: I am not sure why it was denied. I am guessing however it may have had something to do with the film starting production before anyone had seen the Volt.

Awe, man! I can't watch this on my PS3...

i think a picture came out during filming which got everyone asking what the car was (Volt)

Then it was denied. Think we only had it proved when a toy pic hit the net.

man that footage is so hawt


i cant wait for this movie

Josh: Me too!! I am really looking forward to this film.

Thanks for coming on here, Stephen. I've posted a link to this thread on the site's main page, so questions should be pouring in pretty fast soon.

Man there's just something about seeing the Autobot cars all driving together that I love. It just has that G1 character convoy vibe.

While Sideswipe may not be a Lamborghini, I have to say this new Stingray concept car is gorgeous. Both car and bot mode, he's quickly become my favorite design in the movie-verse.

are there any other cars in the movie that are not in this footage? do you have any idea roughly how many there will be in total? the footage obviously shows some of the main characters, but it has been stated that there is a large supporting cast too

Hi Stephen, thanks for doing this it's real cool of you!

A bit of a fun hypothetical;

If you had final say in the film that was made what Transformer do you think you would have put in that's not already there and what GM vehicle would choose and possibly even color it?

By the way I live in the UK and we don't have half the cool cars you have...I'd kill to have a black Camaro with red stripes...just thought I'd add my dreams there

Cheers!!!

No offense to Sideswipe (though as a Stingray fan, that car is SWEET) my favorite shot is seeing Ratchet again.

Still pretty cool

You can see a little snippet of Ratchet behind the Volt in the final shot of the video.

god damn that stingray is hot!!!

may i have a free one mr. gm designer? pretty please?

That's not enough, I want to see more like Wheeljack or Hound or Prowl.

Uh.. none of these characters are even in the movie as far as we know. And how could this info not be enough? Do you want them to post the entire movie on their site or something?

LOVE the wraparound window on Sideswipe. Looks very alien without making the car ugly. Kind of like a visor for the car

If Chevy manages to keep up the good work on the designs, and can trickle down the great looks to the cheaper cars, then I may have to buy American for my next car. I am really liking what they have been showing for the smaller econo cars lately. As long as it can keep looking good with a snowboard stuck to the top of it, I'm happy.

Hopefully the performance ends up being good too. Just because it's small doesn't mean it shouldn't have all-wheel drive. I haven't even read the entire specs on these. Do the Beat and Trax have all-wheel drive options at all?

Man the Stingray is hot!


Were there alot of other car manufacturer besides GM in the movie?

No, I'm not saying there should be more footage, I'm saying that there's not enough Autobots. I counted seven, Shouldn't there be some more than seven(Excluding Acree, Ratchet and Wheelie.)

Tim Formas: Thanks, happy to be here!

ZeroMayhem: Seeing them all together in the trailer is awesome! I got chills the first time I saw it.

Kjeevahh: I can’t speak for what is not shown in the trailer or the movie people will get me

Putrecon: I would have put in an 1977 black Firebird trans am! The VXR8 would have been up there also. That car is a lot of fun to drive!!

Deceptigtar: Haha, I wish! I want one for myself.

This footage is being provided by GM as promotion for the CARS that they made. Why the heck would they insert footage for a toy truck, a discontinued Hummer, and motorcycles they don't make? That would be advertising for stuff they don't sell.

EDIT: Duh oh me.. you said Excluding. Sorry about that.

I don't know how many other cars they produced for the movie. 7 seems about right to me.

Bgrngod: There is a lot of work going on performance/design wise on Chevy products not to mention some really cool stuff that no one has seen yet

welcome to the boards GM_Designer, and thanks for sharing. Did you happen to design any of the cars that are in the movie?

Man i cant wait to see what you guys would have for the third movie.

I hope the Corvette is as big a part of the movie as it was the video.

Just wanted to say thanks for stopping by and soliciting questions from fandom!

I'll be honest, I'm not the biggest car fanatic, so excuse this potentially stupid question..

I know for the first film, there was an appearance by "Bumblebee" and "Ironhide" at the Auto Fair at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte NC.

Any chance it'll happen again this year? I missed it the first time and I wouldn't mind checking it out if there's another showing in the area this year.

Thanks!

very cool i envy your job. i wanted to be a designer for GM or some big company like that.

anyways, a few questions i have.

1. do you know when we will get the new GTO, or did corporate axe that plan.
2. is Mudflap/Trax going to make to production or is it just the Spark/Skids?
3. will we ever see the Firebird come back? i read in a magazine that if the camaro sells as well as you all hope it does there might be one coming.

and one more thing, i was wondering if GM could start avertizing the Vibe more, its one of there best high fuel mileage vehicles, i ask cause im a first generation vibe owner (2004) and am with a group call Genvibe.com. we love the vibe but ate the fact that GM isn't pushing its advertisement.

and id like to thank you for taking the time to answer everyones questions.


and BTW that Vette is Pure Sexyness!!!! and does this hint towards some new design ques to the next C7 or C8 vette in the future?

I'm guessing Ratchet gets killed in Act 1. Because he's not with them in Egypt.

That's good to hear, nice to know there's fans involved in the movie...even if not directly

Who knows, maybe he's off on some scientific mission, or something.

Me too. Nothing against GM theyr'e doing their job. I just don't understand how you put Mudflap , Skids, Jolt and whoever else in a movie before bots like Wheeljack, Prowl, Hound, Cliffjumper, Trailbreaker, Mirage, Sunstreaker hell I could go on and on. It just frustrates me to see this. Having said all that I do think the movie will still kick major a**.

Seawing: I did not design any of the cars in the film however I work very closely with those who did. I worked quite a bit on the Camaro.

I specialize mainly in creating high quality CGI and developing concepts through images and animation.

Cth: I am not sure about the Auto Fair at Charlotte Motor Speedway, however I am guessing the cars will make a few appearances.

Hot_Lap: It’s a lot of fun, but hard work! 1. Can’t comment on that! 2. At the moment it is just the spark. 3. Can’t comment on that one either! I will pass the Vibe feedback on, I agree, it’s a great car that many people underestimate.

Knook: There are a lot of Transformers fans here, you would be amazed at how many designers have toys on their desks!

Firebird? Ooooooh The Bandit's car right? awesome choice!

VXR8? I got the newest Vauxhall Astra personally and that's fun to drive...maybe one day on the VXR8

The Chevy Transformers Vehicles Premiere sent chivers down my spine when that music starting rolling and showed all of them together. Wow.

will more gm vehicles what are not shown in the vids be transformers in the movie

cool thanks, and i thought you wouldnt be able to answer those but it didnt hurt to.

what about the centennial vette is this a look to the C7 or C8 vettes to come?

That was awesome, BB and Sideswipe look sick side by side. This was intense.

Kenm2474: I know what you mean!

Lord Chumley: Can’t comment on that!

Hot Lap: The Stingray is a design exercise where the team had total freedom, not a look into the C7.

damn cause thatd make for one sweet looking vette! thanks again!

Just curious, can you name the cars or some cars that almost made it into the movie but were later axed?

GM Designer, Im not sure that your aware of what you've gotten yourself into here as Im sure this thread will be pages and pages long before the hour is up but thanks for opening yourself up to questions.

hello mr. Gray, thanks for joining and answering our questions...and welcome!

Seeing all the cars drive around in convoy in that footage is pure S.E.X., love it!

I've got a question myself. Comparing the Volt used in Transformers2 with pictures of the Volt on the internet, it seems the one in the movie has been changed - it seems to be less luxury / sportsy, might even look more like a more regular car. Is there a special reason for this change? (mind, I am not a total car freak, so I have no information on the car's target user group, costs, etc.).

I would love to find out this information from the sources themselves, it always provides nice insight.

This question may have been answered somewhere else and I just missed it, but is the Transformers vehicles display with Bumblebee going to be up through out the entire auto show? I want to make it, but won't be able to until the last few days, but I want to make sure to see the exhibit.

Eric