Lincoln's head of product development to retire this week

DETROIT — Scott Tobin, a key architect of Lincoln's turnaround as its director of product development, is leaving the company after a nearly 30 year career, Automotive News has learned.

A Ford spokesman on Monday confirmed the abrupt departure, saying that Tobin, 53, has elected to retire from the company effective Nov. 1. Phil Collareno, currently Ford's executive director of North America and global product programs, will replace Tobin on an interim basis. The spokesman did not comment on why Tobin chose to retire.

Tobin has been with Ford since 1989 in a number of engineering roles both in the U.S. and Europe, where he was head of quality from 2003 to 2006.

While in the U.S., Tobin worked on a number of vehicle programs, including the Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX, Taurus, Flex, Explorer and Mustang.

He was named director of Lincoln's product development in November 2011, according to his LinkedIn profile. As head of product development, Tobin was tasked with "transforming the culture," improving profits and implementing customer experiences.

He led the overhaul of Lincoln's lineup, including the highly praised redesign of the Navigator SUV, which won the 2018 North American Truck of the Year award.