Awards season at General Motors

November 21, 2025Newsletter Archives

When MotorTrend chose the Cadillac ESCALADE IQ as its 2026 SUV of the Year, it was a familiar feeling for chief engineer Al Oppenheiser. The 40-year GM employee previously served as chief engineer on the sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro, named MotorTrend’s 2016 Car of the Year upon its debut. With this week’s award, Oppenheiser becomes the auto industry’s first chief engineer to win both Car of the Year and SUV of the Year. 

GM News spoke with Oppenheiser to find out what it takes to win this prized automotive award. “To be selected as MotorTrend SUV of the Year recognizes that we went over-the-top with our delivery of our expectations,” Oppenheiser said. “This award belongs to everyone on the ESCALADE IQ team, and it's a recognition of the thousands of hours of hard work that they put into this vehicle.”

And speaking of awards, today we celebrated GM’s Research & Development team winning four times at the R&D 100 Awards. As Linda Cadwell-Stancin, executive director of research and development at General Motors, explains on GM News, the R&D 100 recognizes significant science and technology advancements – basically, the Oscars of innovation. 

This week was also about giving back. At the CMA Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, Chevrolet and the Country Music Association recognized an American hero: Retired U.S. Army Sergeant Nick Koulchar. While serving with the U.S. Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Koulchar was injured by an improvised explosive device, undergoing a double leg amputation above the knee. It didn’t slow him down. Today, Koulchar enjoys hunting, weightlifting, and is a 40-time marathoner. He’s also an accomplished handcyclist with the Achilles Freedom Team, composed of fellow veterans with disabilities. 

“Everybody has the power to turn their trauma into a positive,” says Koulchar. “People see the missing legs as a disadvantage, but I see them as a superpower.” At the CMA Awards, country music superstar Ella Langley presented Koulchar with a brand-new next-generation BraunAbility Traverse, a wheelchair-accessible vehicle built for Koulchar’s active lifestyle. 

Don’t expect anyone at General Motors to rest on these achievements. When it comes to innovation, the most important award is the next one.

-- Bob Sorokanich, senior editor, GM News