Nissan hires former Ford design executive Woodhouse

David Woodhouse, the design executive who left Ford Motor Co. after 20 years last week, is joining Nissan Group.

Woodhouse, 50, will become vice president of Nissan Design America in San Diego on July 1, Nissan said Wednesday. He will lead Nissan and Infiniti design activities in North America and report to Nissan's global design chief, Alfonso Albaisa. Woodhouse will also be on the Global Nissan Design Management Committee.

Luring a senior executive from a rival automaker marks a reversal for Nissan. The company has been coping with a talent drain, with executives in Asia and North America departing in the wake of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn's arrest late last year.

High-profile executives who have left the company include Randy Parker, Nissan division general manager; Jose Munoz, Nissan's former head of global performance; and Infiniti President Christian Meunier.

Woodhouse will replace Taro Ueda, who is staying at Nissan in a global role, the company said.

Nissan, which is battling a decline in U.S. sales, expects to freshen 70 percent of its lineup in the next few years.

Woodhouse, who began his automotive career at BMW Group, has more than 25 years of automotive design experience.

On June 8, Automotive News reported Woodhouse had left Ford, where he was corporate director of global strategic design and director of design at Lincoln. A Lincoln spokeswoman said at the time Woodhouse had "elected to leave the company" but gave no details.

In a Facebook post June 7, Woodhouse said leaving Ford was a "difficult decision," especially considering his personal investment in Lincoln.

"Ending a long-standing relationship with a corporation is just like ending a personal relationship multiplied by the number of wonderful friends and colleagues," he wrote.

At Lincoln, Woodhouse helped develop styling centered around a philosophy the company labels "quiet flight."

Woodhouse previously was chief designer in Ford's strategic design studios in London and California and was part of the team behind the Lincoln C Concept at the 2009 Detroit auto show.

The Ford Shelby GR1, Ford Airstream, Ford Reflex, Lincoln Continental Concept, Lincoln Mk9 Coupe and Lincoln Aviator Concept are among the key vehicles Woodhouse had a hand in styling.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Woodhouse was an assistant chief designer with Cadillac in Europe for less than a year starting in late 1998, where he helped craft the Cadillac Imaj concept.