• Car Dealer Plus
No Result
View All Result
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
No Result
View All Result

Ford chief designer talks exclusively to Car Dealer

James Baggott by James Baggott
November 4, 2014
0
Home News
Moray Callum
Moray Callum

The chief designer of Ford is based in Dearborn, Detroit and leads a global team of 1,100 Ford designers. Here he speaks exclusively to Car Dealer.

Mondeo is a very important car for the UK. Do you think the looks are good enough for it to sell here?

Yes. We’ve lived with the design as the Fusion for a few years already in the States and I still see them every day and think they’re good-looking cars. It’s a car that people appreciate the design of and in the States the design is still one of its selling points.

Is the One Ford strategy working in your mind?

Yes because people are buying the cars. I do think it makes sense, though. It took Alan Mulally to come on board and to question what we were doing. For many years, those in the US wanted cars with more European designs so it was a natural progression.

Have there been any challenges?

There were in getting everyone on board and facing the same direction. The thing with designers is they all have their own opinions, so the challenge there was not just to get a line, but one in the right direction. The idea is we can now take work from any one of our design studios around the world and we’re all now talking with one voice.

Do you pitch studios against each other?

Yes we do. We want those studios to challenge each other but within the same design parameters. We have competition – that’s great because it helps raise the bar.

What distinguishes a Ford right now?

It’s the face. We’ve worked very hard to give Fords a unique and recognisable face. We also talk about the silhouette being recognisable. Then the surface language is important too.

Where do you take your influences from?

I take mine from all around me. Sometimes it comes from the past, but I hope it comes from the future too. I look to other technology and how you we can communicate that technology to customers.

What’s your favourite current Ford model at the moment?

It would have to be the Mondeo. It encompasses everything we stand for and is a good-looking car.

What non-car brand do you admire?

That’s a wide area! It always comes back to Apple for me because Apple understands the importance of design. It has showed design can really help sell a product.

What’s your favourite car?

It depends what day of the week it is. I answer that question differently every time. Today, I don’t know… it’s wavering between a Citroen DS, an E-Type Jaguar and a Mini. The original Mini is a brilliant car and I like the ingenuity behind that car.

Will we ever see another Puma?

I’m probably not an expert, but that doesn’t mean t isn’t something that isn’t in our sketchbook. Puma will be a type of product we’d love to develop as we like to develop our current platforms. I think it might just have been another Callum that worked on that car, so I’d love to do a better one than he did, of course!

Which cars do you love working on?

Well, obviously the sports cars are enjoyable, but the more run-of-the-mill cars with regular formulas are more rewarding because the challenge is bigger.

MORE: Record-breaking financial year at Peoples Ford

MORE: Moray Callum: ‘If it was up to me, I’d look to design the Capri’

MORE: New Ford showroom opens after £5 million investment

Previous Post

Spooky sign proves a Hallowe’en hit for BMW dealership

Next Post

Moray Callum: ‘If it was up to me, I’d look to design the Capri’

Related Posts

EU regulator says BMW, Daimler and VW colluded to limit emissions tech
News

Volkswagen Group sales fall 15 per cent in 2020

January 14, 2021
Used car market stronger than ever as August sees sales up by nearly 50 per cent for Big Motoring World
News

Lockdown 3 having minimal impact on consumer demand, reveals Auto Trader

January 14, 2021
News

Groupe Renault announces model offensive including new electric Renault 5

January 14, 2021
News

Arnold Clark and other major Scottish dealers plan to continue offering click and collect from Saturday

January 14, 2021
Hendy Group chooses Crawley for second Suzuki franchise
News

Hendy pre-tax profit for 2019 dropped by 64 per cent to £2.6m, latest results show

January 14, 2021
Comment: Can or can’t car dealers in Scotland offer click and collect? Why on earth do we still not know for sure?
News

Comment: Can or can’t car dealers in Scotland offer click and collect? Why on earth do we still not know for sure?

January 14, 2021

Want to receive the latest news?

Sign up to the Car Dealer daily news briefing for the latest news and advice during these unprecedented times.

Subscribe Now
Car Dealer Top 100 – The list in full of the most profitable car dealers in the UK
Car Dealer Top 100

Car Dealer Top 100 – The list in full of the most profitable car dealers in the UK

December 21, 2020
Used Car Awards Shortlist: Find out who made it through mystery shopping and are now in running for our gongs
News

Used Car Awards Shortlist: Find out who made it through mystery shopping and are now in running for our gongs

January 6, 2021
Investigation: Should car dealers be selling and delivering during lockdown?
News

What do we know about online used car dealer Cazoo? Who is Alex Chesterman? And will Cazoo float on the stock market?

January 5, 2021
Become a Car Dealer Plus member and get more out of this website including free legal advice
News

Become a Car Dealer Plus member and get more out of this website including free legal advice

January 5, 2021
Used car dealer Cazoo accused of online-only U-turn as it sets up physical sites and closes Imperial dealerships
News

Comment: Why Cazoo founder was naive to label this used car sales business as ‘flawed at every level’

December 1, 2020
Car Dealer Power

Car Manufacturer of the Year – Where did your manufacturer rank in Car Dealer Power 2020?

November 23, 2020
Investigation: What do car buyers want from online car sales? New research reveals customers’ likes and dislikes
Car Dealer Live

Investigation: What do car buyers want from online car sales? New research reveals customers’ likes and dislikes

November 28, 2020
Car Dealer Power

The best car dealer suppliers named in the Car Dealer Power Awards 2020

November 26, 2020
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
Call us: 020 8125 3880

© 2020 Blackball Media

No Result
View All Result
  • Car Dealer Plus
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100

© 2020 Blackball Media

Log In
Register
Register
Server C