According to Debellis, her creative process starts by building a mood board with the design team to set the overall theme. As an industrial designer, she aims to balance form and function;[1] her specialty is the exterior design profile.[2]
Debellis was part of the GM design teams that styled the Chevrolet Corvette (C7) and sixth-generation Camaro.[3] Following that work, she has led the design of Cadillac as it electrifies its lineup; the marque is piloting the overall electrification of GM.[4] Cadillac's first electric vehicle is the Lyriq, first unveiled as a concept vehicle in August 2020, and continues with the flagship Celestiq, whose concept debuted in July 2022.[5]
For the Lyriq, the design started with theme sketches with long dash-to-axle proportions drawn by Bobin Kil, Magalie Debellis, and Jason Chen; Brian Smith, the director of exterior design for Cadillac, recalled "Magalie's themes was the clear winner. That process helped set the direction for the LYRIQ, including the all-black roof, the side-view proportion, and the dark front end."[6] The Lyriq team won a Gold Award for Automotive and Transport products from Good Design Australia in 2021.[7]
She served on the jury for a 2021 design contest that proposed future electric vehicle charging stations, organized by Electric Autonomy Canada.[8] She also has served as a judge for multiple Concours d'Elegance, including the 2019 and 2021 Concours d'Elegance of America in Plymouth, Michigan and the 2022 Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance.[9]
In 2024, Debellis returned to Chevrolet, where she is the design director for Corvette, Performance, Cars, and Crossovers Exteriors.[10]
In addition to her car design work, Debellis is a painter and sculptor of abstract art.[1]