Pinoy behind the Hummer ... and now the CTS

His parents wanted him to study engineering, but he liked art and doodling instead. But, for Erwin Angala, pursuing his dreams of studying art paid off in a big way as he is being hailed within the automotive industry for his innovative designs on the 2008 Cadillac CTS. In April, the 2008 Cadillac CTS model Angala helped design, was showcased at the 2007 New York International Auto Show. A review by AutoWeek, a trade publication, called the new CTS is fabulous. “This new CTS is a living beauty; if you were to climb behind the wheel of both generation cars, not a single person would choose the older model. It’s that dramatic," wrote Dutch Madel, editor and associate publisher of AutoWeek. Another fan of the new CTS is television host, Jay Leno, an automobile collector. Philippine-born Angala, 34, immigrated to Cleveland, Ohio with his parents in 1978. He was only five when he first moved to the United States with his parents and older brother, Michael. According to his mother, Esther, 65, her children didn’t know they were leaving their cousins and friends behind for Cleveland. “They didn’t know they were coming to America," said Esther, who still lives in Cleveland. “We woke them up, got them dressed and were excited to be on the airplane." “When we first got to America, I was so excited to see snow and never worn a jacket until we came here," said Erwin, over a telephone interview with Philippine News. “I didn’t speak English at all and I remember the first word I learned was Hi. I would say it to everyone." Angala has always admired cars and recalled, as a teenager, watching them for hours at an expressway in Cleveland. He prides himself on being able to name a car’s model just by looking at its headlights. “The enthusiasm in transportation stemmed from old transportation," said Angala, who first admired motorcycles. “I’ve always loved cars since 13," who also added that he found the sizes of a vehicle appealing. While attending the Cleveland Institute of Art, where he initially planned to study medical illustration, he accidentally walked into another class that changed his life. “My parents steered me towards the books," said Angala, who went to a Catholic elementary and high school like many other Filipinos. “I walked into industrial design and fell in love," laughed Angala. “I had no idea that you can study automotive design." “At first they (parents) thought I’d end up at amusement parks, drawing caricatures," laughed Angala. For Angala’s mother, she is incredibly proud of her son, who won an Easter drawing contest at the age of seven. “Erwin is a good exterior designer," said Esther. “He’s doing good and his employers like him." In the beginning of Angala’s career, he interned and gained experience at Ford Motor Company and learned about products for Fisher-Price and Dirt Devil in Cleveland. He started working for General Motors Company in 2000 at the age of 27 and helped with the Hummer H2. Angala currently lives with his wife Cortney in Michigan and occasionally makes time to cook Filipino delicacies. “I make a good beefsteak, adobo and pancit," said Angala, who learned to cook from his mom. “I love making Filipino food." The young designer has another passion related to cars: racing. “I love motor sports racing, Formula-1," said Angala, who doesn’t own a CTS but drives a classic 1949 Chevy truck. “The aerodynamics equals speed in my mind. The CTS is aggressive but luxurious, upscale but has a sporty feel to it." According to Angala, he believes his experience as a Filipino helped shaped the choices he made in life. “I definitely think we have hard work ethics as far as being Filipino," said Angala, who started designing the latest CTS model in 2004. “I would say that I think much differently than a lot of people. Growing up, we had to make do with what he had, so we had to find clever ways of doing things. It’s this…‘out of the box’ thinking that helps me design around problems." Angala also credits his creativeness to his late father. “My father was the most talented man I’ve ever known," he said. “He always had an incredible ability to draw. [He] was my biggest influence in art and could just fix just about anything. Almost like McGyver in a way." “I would love to see more Filipinos in my industry," added Angala, who said he is the only Filipino working within the Cadillac department but always feels at home. “We’re very diverse at GM. It isn’t predominantly one race. We’re global and work together." As Angala prepares for a new top-secret project, he is not embarrassed to admit that there is so much more to learn in the automotive industry and is very proud to be a Filipino. “I love being different than everyone else. I love the fact that I have a loving family, even if it’s a family friend, we still refer to them as tita and tito." Esther, his mother, couldn’t agree more: “They shouldn’t forget their roots, although they love being American, they’re still Filipino." - Philippine News