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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
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| Feb 27 2008, 10:31 AM EST (current) | MishWiki | 2 words added, 1 word deleted |
| Feb 26 2008, 4:34 PM EST | cyndijeffus |
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Cambridge Who's Who Professional of the Year Franz von Holzhausen has made significant contributions to the automotive industry.
As the director of design for M
azda North American Operations, von Holzhausen operates from the Mazda Research and Development facility in Irvine, CA.HeCA. He is responsible for overseeing the design and development of all concept and production vehicles for North America.Most recently, von Holzhausen led the design for the new Mazda Furai concept car, which was then further developed by Swift Engineering. The Furai debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this year. According to von Holzhausen, the Furai "purposely blurs boundaries that have traditionally distinguished street cars from racing cars." von Holzhausen also designed the Mazda Kabura that debuted at the 2006 North American International Auto Show. The Kabura is a front-engine, rear wheel drive, compact sports car and is slated to have a production version manufactured for the 2009 model year.
Before joining Mazda in February 2005, von Holzhausen was the design manager for General Motors. While there, he designed the Pontiac Solstice (which von Holzhausen describes as his greatest career achievement), the Saturn Sky Roadster and the Chevrolet SS. von Holzhausen always feels a great sense of accomplishment whenever he sees his car designs on the street. With the Pontiac Solstice, he was part of the design process from concept generation to final production. von Holzhausen has also served as the assistant chief designer at the Volkswagen Design Center located in Irvine, CA and was a key contributor to the New Beetle concept project, Concept One.
von Holzhausen was born and raised in Simsbury, CT. His childhood dream was to design cars and he has enjoyed pursuing this passion throughout his life. He attributes his success to his natural aptitude for design. In addition, von Holzhausen's desire and energy for designing and creating automobiles sets him apart from his peers in this cutting-edge industry.
von Holzhausen started his education at Syracuse University studying industrial design. He later attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena,CA, where he obtained a bachelor of arts in transportation design in 1992. His hobbies include sailing and snowboarding.
Franz von Holzhausen joined Cambridge Who's Who as a Gold member in November 2006. Cambridge Who's Who offers its members recognition and exposure of their accomplishments, credibility in their field and networking opportunities to stimulate career growth. von Holzhausen was selected as a Cambridge Who's Who Professional of the Year in 2007 and for the Cambridge Who's Who Notable Member Wiki because of his remarkable achievements in the automotive industry.
