Lincoln Design Chief to Run Ford Studio in London

DETROIT April 30, 2003; Norihiko Shirouzu, writing for the WSJ reports that the Ford Motor Co. designer who set out to remake the auto maker's Lincoln brand in the U.S. market, where more consumers are falling in love with the likes of Lexuses, Mercedeses and BMWs, has resigned as Lincoln- Mercury design chief and will instead run Ford's design studio in London.

With the departure of Gerry McGovern, who has led the styling overhaul of Lincoln-Mercury vehicles since 1999, the luxury division's design studio in Irvine, Calif., will become Ford's "advanced design" studio that will work on concept automobiles for all Ford-owned brands including Volvo, Land Rover and Jaguar.

Dave Reuter, a Ford spokesman, said Henrik Fisker, currently creative director for Ford's design studio in London named "Ingeni" will oversee the Irvine studio's new task, while the 45-year-old Mr. McGovern will take over Mr. Fisker's job at the London studio. Ford's design chiefs in Dearborn, Mich., where the auto maker is based, will oversee Lincoln-Mercury styling following Mr. McGovern's departure, he said.

Ingeni is Ford's creative design office in London's Soho district that the auto maker uses to hatch ideas and designs for vehicles and merchandising for various Ford brands. The studio also designs non-automotive consumer products such as watches and furniture.

Mr. Reuter said the job swap between Mr. McGovern and Mr. Fisker, 39, was precipitated in part by Ford's decision last year to revert Lincoln-Mercury back under the umbrella of Ford's North American auto operations a move which reversed the auto maker's earlier move to lump Lincoln-Mercury in with its European luxury brands as part of the company's Premier Automotive Group. The decision led the division's operations in Irvine to move back to Dearborn, though Mr. McGovern's design team remained in Irvine.

The latest design personnel shuffling "really mirrors what we have done with the rest of the product development area," said Mr. Reuter. "Lincoln had a specific design studio when it was based in Irvine. Now that Lincoln-Mercury has moved back to Dearborn and is being integrated into the rest of Ford product development engineering group, we have just taken what was formally the Lincoln- Mercury only studio into an advanced studio."

The division's move back to Michigan gave Ford "a good opportunity to shift things up a little bit and provide a broader range of experience" for both Mr. McGovern and Mr. Fisker, Mr. Reuter said.

Ford insiders noted, however, Mr. McGovern's departure form Lincoln-Mercury stemmed in part from his growing indifference toward the Lincoln brand. They said the British designer, who came to Lincoln from Land Rover, had been unhappy about the loss of independence his design team suffered as a result of Ford's decision to fold Lincoln-Mercury back into the auto maker's North American operations. He has been concerned about the fate of ideas he brought to Lincoln to rejuvenate its styling, they said.

His critics said Mr. McGovern, while skillful in fusing retro and modernism for Lincoln vehicles, failed to quickly come up with practical solutions to realize his ideas in production vehicles, which they cite as a factor behind Lincoln's struggle in recent years. Long a big moneymaker for Ford, Lincoln- Mercury went into a skid in 2001, along with the rest of Ford's North American operations, and has since struggled to boost sales.

Ford officials said the auto maker will continue to pursue the basic design philosophy and direction Mr. McGovern had established for Lincoln.

The "flagship" Lincoln concept car Mr. McGovern designed, which he called the new "DNA" for the new wave of Lincolns, sports subtle, minimalist lines and curves. The concept's long wheel base, smooth side panels and vertical center- opening doors derive from the classic 1961 Lincoln Continental President John F. Kennedy took to Dallas.