kansaiwalker1

(08:28 April 26, 2004)

Ford is prepared to take design risks, J Mays says


By AUTOMOTIVE NEWS

NEW YORK -- Ford Motor Co.'s design staff is ready to become more daring, says J Mays, Ford group vice president of design. He spoke with Automotive News Staff Reporter Amy Wilson at the New York auto show this month.

Consumers and dealers have criticized some recent redesigns - the Explorer, Expedition and Freestar - because they haven't been different enough on the outside.

And we've agreed with them. On subsequent models we bring to market, we've turned up the volume significantly not only on differentiation but on creating more futuristic designs as well.

A lot of what we've done over the last five years is what I call our homework in order to learn how to simply design and build and execute quality into an automobile. We know how to do that now. So now we're at the stage in the experience level of our designers that we're able to go back in and say, "OK, let's become more risk-taking in the designs." And I'm glad we've done it that way.

The F-150 and Mustang redesigns were departures from previous models. From this point on, should we expect that kind of differentiation on redesigns?

Yes, you should expect on both freshenings and new cars that there is going to be a far greater level of differentiation than we've had in the past. We're working on a freshening already for the Five Hundred and Freestyle that I think will surprise you.

Are those the new front ends that update the grille to the three-bar style, which you are adopting for the Ford line?

Yes.

How soon will we see those?

It's a little early to talk about that.

So we'll see different looks for the F-series Super Duty and Explorer Sport Trac redesigns?

Yes, you'll see those very soon. I can't tell you exactly when. But you'll see a very different look to them.

Why does the coming Lincoln Zephyr have a waterfall grille instead of the egg-crate grille you've talked about for Lincoln?

We'll have two grilles for the foreseeable future on Lincoln. We imagine that we will probably migrate toward the egg-crate grille in time. That again will give us a chance somewhere down the road to do a very nice freshening.

Is there a place for a minivan in the Lincoln lineup?

I can imagine a significantly more upscale minivan. Whether that has a Lincoln badge on it or not is a bigger question. There's definitely a more upscale, seven-passenger people mover lurking.

Would you call that a minivan?

I'm of the opinion that a minivan shouldn't look as though it smells like diapers. Minivans can be sexy, and minivans can be aspirational. And I haven't seen one that does that yet.

What do you think of the Nissan Quest?

Judging by the sales numbers, it's quirky. The affliction we have on the Freestar and Monterey is the same affliction that's happening over on the Quest. It's a soft market on minivans.

That said, the Freestar/Windstar combination is significantly below the rest of the segment year over year.

That's true. I can't argue with that.

Does that go back to not changing the exterior?

I think so. That's some of it.

What else are you working on?

I'm spending a lot of time in Europe at the moment. We're putting a huge emphasis on the next generation of products coming out of our British PAG (Premier Automotive Group) brands. That's really all-consuming until mid-June for me. I'll also be spending time from August onward with Ford of Europe because (incoming Europe design chief) Martin Smith will be on board at that time.

How much time are you spending in Europe?

Between now and June, it's probably going to be once every three weeks. (A year ago) I was going once every couple of months. This is back to where I was when I first started with the company. It's OK. I like the cultural input I get out of that. It helps me when I get back to Dearborn.