Ford taps design chief with global perspective

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley is bringing in an outsider to become global head of design, a historically rare move for the Detroit 3 that has benefited Ford in the past.

The automaker has hired Anthony Lo, Renault's top exterior designer, to succeed the retiring Moray Callum. Lo, 56, will start April 1 and have a one-month transition period before Callum departs after two decades with Ford, including a seven-year stint as design chief.

Lo, in 10 years working with Renault in Paris, helped implement the company's "cycle of life" design strategy that resulted in a number of concept vehicles and later influenced the brand's global lineup. He oversaw a swift overhaul of the brand's range, which many credited with helping make the brand No. 2 in Europe.

Now, Lo will shift his focus from Renault's small cars to Ford's lucrative big pickups, rugged SUVs and electric vehicles bearing the hallowed Mustang name.

On an introductory call with Ford leadership last week, Lo expressed an affinity for the Ford brand, according to a person with knowledge of the call. But he admitted that, coming from Europe, he isn't very familiar with the company's main profit driver: the F-150 pickup.

But Lo, who was born in Hong Kong and has a master's in automotive design from the Royal College of Art in London, should be up for the task, said Patrick Le Quement, a former head of design at Renault and top designer at Ford. "He will really come into his own when he arrives at Ford," Le Quement, who now designs boats in France, told Automotive News Europe.

The soft-spoken Lo started his career at Lotus in the mid-1980s, moving to Audi then Daimler in quick succession. In 2000, he became head of advanced design at Saab, where he was responsible for the influential Aero X concept, then took over advanced design for General Motors in Europe, including Opel/Vauxhall.

Among Renault's successes under Lo have been the Renault Clio, a small hatchback that became the brand's top seller, and the Dacia Duster, a budget-priced small SUV that has been a segment leader against more expensive rivals.

At Ford, Lo will be on an "excellent team and succeeds someone who is looked upon as being a design leader," Le Quement said of Callum, adding that Callum surrounded himself "with some pretty hot talent."

Lo declined to comment, citing the job transition.

Going with an outsider worked well for Ford in 1997, when it hired a young designer from Audi, J Mays, to replace Jack Telnack as vice president for design. Mays went on to craft many notable vehicles, including a number of Ford sedans, two iterations of the F-150, the 2010 Mustang and the 2005 GT.

"Looking for an international perspective is a wise move by Ford," Karl Brauer, an analyst with iSeeCars.com, told Automotive News. "I think you can make the argument that there might be an outsized level of design inspiration coming from the European community that might be a good place to look when you want to keep a company moving forward."

Callum, 62, joined Ford in 1995 through its Mazda brand in Japan. Notable vehicles designed under his watch include the 1999 Super Duty, 2011 Explorer, 2015 Mustang and 2016 GT. He also was in charge of the new Mustang Mach-E electric crossover, the upcoming Bronco SUV and the 2021 F-150 introduced last fall.

"Moray's influence is seen on streets around the globe," Hau Thai-Tang, Ford's product development and purchasing boss, said in a statement.