"Skull From Hell" Chevrolet HHR Panel Wins Design Competition

DETROIT — When General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz and an executive team surveyed the design entries in the contest to come up with the best take on the new HHR panel wagon for 18-to-25-year-olds, it was easy to pick the winner.

"Skull from Hell," developed by Detroit's College for Creative Studies student Jim McCammon, took home top honors. The vehicle shows how a "personal-use panel" can be customized to capture the hearts and minds of young buyers. The vehicle will be on display at this week's 2007 New York Auto Show. HHR Panel production kicked off this month.

Perhaps to take the edge off the edgy Skull from Hell, GM will also display another — perhaps a bit sweeter — contestant from the recent design competition. The second vehicle, which could be named Flower Power, is a delivery HHR Panel that looks like a "bouquet on wheels."

Chevrolet General Manager Ed Peper said the contest is "a great way to demonstrate how to make the HHR Panel a perfect fit for its audience, whether it's a large company, small business, or an individual who just wants to be expressive. I think enthusiasts will be inspired by the student designs, and we'll see more customizing like this on the road."

The HHR Panel will come in LS and LT trims with a 149-horsepower 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine or a 175-hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine.

© Source: article on insideline
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