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6 October, 2027 Detroit, MI, US

Car Design Dialogues North America

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST

250+ ATTENDEES
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST FOR 2027
30+ SPEAKERS
FULL DAY PROGRAMME

250+ ATTENDEES
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST FOR 2027
30+ SPEAKERS
FULL DAY PROGRAMME

CDD Detroit 2026

Car Design Dialogues Detroit returned in 2026 with an evolved format designed to deliver greater value for OEM design leaders while bringing suppliers directly into the conversation.

Across a full day of panel discussions and hands-on workshops, the automotive design community came together to explore how technology, materials and emotion are reshaping vehicle design.

From HMI and UX to interiors and CMF, the programme brought together leading voices from across the industry to share ideas, challenge thinking and discuss the opportunities shaping the next generation of vehicles.

The day concluded with the renowned Designer Night drinks reception, giving attendees the chance to continue the conversations, make new connections and catch up with the wider design community in a more informal setting.

To view your photos from the day follow www.getpica.com and enter DETROIT26 if asked for a code.

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST FOR 2027

2026 Speakers

Bryan Nesbitt

senior vice president of global design
General Motors

Bryan Nesbitt was appointed senior vice president, Global Design at General Motors in June 2026. Prior to this role, Nesbitt was vice president,…

Scott Krugger

senior vice president, head of North America design
Stellantis

Scott Krugger was appointed senior vice president and head of Stellantis North America Design in July 2025, leading the creative vision and design…

Irina Zavatski

vice president, Chrysler brand exterior design
Stellantis

Irina Zavatski was appointed vice president for the Chrysler brand design in May 2022. In this position, Zavatski is responsible for the development,…

Chris Benjamin

chief design officer
Scout Motors

Chris Benjamin was appointed Chief Design Officer at Scout Motors in 2023. Chris serves as the steward of the iconic Scout design, overseeing interior…

Ian Cartabiano

president
Calty Design Research

Ian Cartabiano is President of Calty Design Research based in Newport Beach, California. Working with Toyota Motors Corporate headquarters, Ian…

Paul Wraith

global design director for SUVs
Ford Motor Company

Paul Wraith is the Global Design Director for SUVs at Ford Motor Company, taking pride in leading teams who design relevant, inventive, and proven…

Christine Park Cheng

global design director
Lincoln

Christine Park Cheng is the Global Design Director for Lincoln, responsible for leading the long-term design vision of Ford Motor Company’s luxury…

Derek Jenkins

chief creative officer
Lucid Motors

Derek Jenkins is Senior Vice President of Design and Brand at Lucid Motors, a Silicon Valley–based luxury electric automaker. In this role, he…

Phil Zak

executive design director, global exterior design
General Motors

Phil Zak is Executive Design Director for Global Exterior Design across Chevrolet, GMC and Buick brands at General Motors. In this role, he oversees…

Greg Howell

vice president, Dodge exterior design
Stellantis

Greg Howell was appointed vice president of Dodge exterior design in August 2025. In this position, he is responsible for managing all aspects of…

Ryan Nagode

vice president, interior design
Stellantis

Ryan Nagode is vice president of interior design at Stellantis. In this position, Nagode leads the interior design direction for Chrysler, Dodge,…

Bill Zheng

head of user experience
Stellantis North America

Bill Zheng was appointed head of user experience (UX) for Stellantis North America in April 2026, where he leads the UX design strategy for Chrysler,…

Paul Wraith

program chief designer
Ford Design

Paul designs relevant, inventive and successful vehicles; ones that make a difference to the people who use them, build businesses around them, and…

Dom Najafi

executive design director, global Cadillac
General Motors

Dominic Najafi is Executive Director of Design, Global Cadillac at General Motors, where he leads Cadillac Design in Detroit and helps shape the…

Christian Dodd

senior design director - digital product design
Ford Motor Company

Christian Dodd is an Executive Design Director of Digital Product Design at Ford Motor Company, where he leads the strategy and design of vehicle…

Jennifer Widrick

director, global CMF
General Motors

Jennifer Widrick is Director of Global CMF Design at General Motors, where she leads the development of color, material and finish strategies across…

Rebecca Waldmeir

senior design manager - corporate brand environments, graphics, outreach & heritage
General Motors

Rebecca Waldmeir is Senior Design Manager for GM Corporate Environments, Graphics, Outreach and Archives at General Motors. She also leads…

Aaron Deneweth

chief designer physical interaction
Ford Motor Company

Aaron Deneweth is a strategic design leader with over 25 years of experience driving innovation at the intersection of industrial design,…

Sebastian Bauer

executive director, human interface design
General Motors

Sebastian Bauer is Executive Director of Human Interface Design at General Motors, where he leads the team shaping intuitive, expressive, end-to-end…

Zeb Coughenour

sr. manager, interior design
Lucid Motors

Zeb Coughenour is an experienced automotive design professional with 13 years of experience, currently serving as the Senior Manager of Interior…

Christopher Kroener

lead CMF designer
Lucid Motors

Christopher Kroener is Lead CMF Designer at Lucid Motors, responsible for shaping Color, Material, and Finish strategies across flagship vehicle…

Testimonials

Thank you again for the wonderful day in Detroit. Such a cool event. Glad we could be part of it.

Ian Cartabiano
Calty Design Research

Car Design Dialogues Detroit put the people shaping the industry on stage - and in the conversation. Every track delivered. It’s earned a permanent place on our calendar: the conference we’ll look forward to each year and won’t miss.

Craig Kavicky
Lextant

Great event and we really appreciate CDN continuously pushing for car design culture!

Bill Zheng
Stellantis

I wanted to thank you both for including me in this year’s event. I really enjoyed the opportunity to participate and represent Slate among my peers and suppliers across the industry.

Meredith Alves
Slate Auto

This event was a great networking opportunity and the panel discussions were relevant and insightful. I'm looking forward to the next one

Jon Gaudreau, Stellantis

Great event! I'm glad I had the opportunity to participate

Emanuele Ferraris, Archer

Good times, good chat

Paul Wraith, Ford Design

The event was really strong. Loved the availability of the panellists. Thank you for your support

Daryl Thomson, Autodesk

2026 highlights

2026 Partners