Chinese carmaker GWM has hired one of the key chassis engineers from the defunct Holden brand to lead its Australian model tuning and development efforts.
Vehicle ride and handling expert Rob Trubiani will join GWM Australia and New Zealand in early April in the role of Product Engineering Manager.
Mr Trubiani joined Holden fresh out of university in 1996, and worked on every generation of Commodore from that point on including the billion-dollar VE Commodore – plus a number of other models.
For nearly 15 years, he served as Holden’s lead engineer for vehicle dynamics, giving him a keen understanding of local road conditions and the steering and suspension setups to suit them.
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He worked at the Lion brand until 2020, the year it was shuttered, and subsequently joined global automotive engineering consultancy Segula Technologies, where he held the title of Senior Mechanical Engineer.
Segula Australia worked with RMA Automotive to help it re-engineer and remanufacture the Ford F-150 in right-hand drive.
Mr Trubiani not only has decades of experience in vehicle dynamics; he also set the Guinness World Record for the fastest lap in a commercial vehicle around the Nürburgring Nordschleife in a VF Holden Ute SS.
GWM Australia says that in hiring him, it’s aiming to strengthen its local engineering efforts and improve the ride and handling of its vehicles.
It says it had already been “actively listening to local customer feedback for several years now, with much of this feedback already making its way into the final tuning of new models” for our market.
GWM confirmed last year it had been looking at the suspension tuning of its vehicles since 2023, and flagged that the Haval H6 GT PHEV mid-sized SUV and the Cannon and Cannon Alpha PHEV utes would be the first models to receive a locally developed suspension tune.
Following criticism from customers and media, it is also working on retuning the advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) of its vehicles to better suit local conditions, and the Tank 500 large SUV and Cannon Alpha ute will be the first cabs off the rank.
“We are delighted to have secured Rob as our new Product Engineering Manager. 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,” said Steve Maciver, GWM Australia and New Zealand’s head of marketing and communications.
“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.”
These days, a carmaker having a dedicated, permanent local engineering and tuning program based in Australia is far from common, and will put GWM in the same company as Kia.
The fast-growing Chinese brand has been securing further talent from more established brands of late, with John Kett joining GWM as its chief operating officer earlier this year after holding the same role at Hyundai Australia for more than five years.
Last year GWM achieved its sixth consecutive record-breaking annual sales figure with 42,782 vehicles delivered, up 17.5 per cent on the previous year and making it Australia’s 10th most popular auto brand.
