Driving Ambition
From cup holders to safe handling, it’s Mark Reuss’ job to create vehicles you’ll love.            

For some people, cars are just a way to get from point A to point B— large radios on wheels. But to others, they are endlessly fascinating machines that are constantly evolving with each new make and model. Mark Reuss, BE’86, definitely falls into this category.

Reuss joined General Motors’ Flint Automotive Division in 1986 as an associate car development engineer for powertrain calibration. He went on to serve as total vehicle engineer for several models before being appointed executive director for North American vehicle systems and architecture. In April 2006, Reuss was named executive director for global vehicle integration, safety and virtual vehicle development. It’s a complicated title befitting a complicated job.

“We engineer the parts and pieces that go together to create what is really the soul of a vehicle. How it sounds. How it rides and handles. How it steers and brakes,” explains Reuss. “All those things are what’s called ‘vehicle integration.’” He also has responsibility for the safety performance of the vehicles. And, ultimately, Reuss’ department sets the requirements for the people who actually fabricate the parts and pieces. The goal, of course, is to produce a product that customers enjoy and will want to buy again.

But pleasing the car-buying public becomes more complicated with each passing year. These days customers not only have more vehicles to choose from, but they also have more options. And something as seemingly insignificant as a cup holder can actually carry quite a bit of weight. It’s what the experts call the “human-vehicle interface.”

 “How the machine interfaces with the human being is very important,” says Reuss. “We’ve had a rapid shift in the marketplace over the last 10 years. The competition is extremely intense, and we have to earn the right for people to buy our vehicles. The interface is where all those parts and pieces come together to create something unique and special.”            

On the Fast Track 

For a guy who loves cars, Reuss also must spend a lot of time on airplanes. He regularly travels to GM facilities in Korea, Australia, India, Brazil and China.

“I really enjoy learning about different cultures, different car markets, and the different capabilities of people in GM worldwide,” he says. “It wears you out, but it’s fascinating.”

It only stands to reason that a person who is into cars this much would also be an excellent driver. Reuss is a certified industry pool test driver for the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife (North Course) in northeast Germany, a feat very few Americans have accomplished.

 “Nürburgring is called the most difficult and challenging race course ever manufactured—13 miles with about 125 turns. It was once home to Formula 1 races, but it was decided that it was too dangerous,” says Reuss.

The fortunes of the automotive industry rise and fall with regularity, and now GM is enjoying some hardearned success. Reuss, for one, is enjoying the ride.

“No other industry has the same intense competition and dynamic environment— and it changes faster than any other industry around, except for software. It’s challenging, rewarding and very engaging.”