Ford has been in the process of shuffling around its design team for some time now, both in the U.S. and abroad. Much of this effort revolves around a desire to simply the process and eliminate redundancies – reducing costs as a result, and speeding up the development process – as we’ve seen from the automaker’s skunkworks team already. However, Ford is also in the process of consolidating its design team and moving it to the company’s Dearborn, Michigan based headquarters, meaning that one existing studio is now set to close.
That location is the Ford Irvine Design Studio in California, according to the Orange County Business Journal, which is now set to close this coming November. Ford has offered all 263 employees at the design studio the chance to relocate to Long Beach or Dearborn, Michigan, but as of now, five of them have denied such a request, meaning that their employment will be terminated at the conclusion of August. Of those 263 workers, 92 are hardware development engineers.
Ford’s West Coast operations have been based in Irvine for some time, but it began scaling things back in 2009. It’s been a long and evolving transition for the Ford design team, which includes a couple of pivotal moves made this past February. At that time, FoMoCo announced that Lincoln Design Director Kemal Curic will be transitioning to the role of global design director for Ford Performance, and will be responsible for helping to develop new versions of vehicles like the Mustang and the automaker’s Raptor lineup.
Curic will be replaced by Christine Cheng, who will now serve as the new Lincoln Design Director moving forward. She has roughly two decades of design experience herself, but just joined Ford back in early 2023 following time at its cross-town rival General Motors and Cadillac. Cheng previously helped develop the F-Series lineup, and will now shift her focus back to the luxury side of the business.
Interest-free financing and more on the compact crossover.
Providing a way to keep using electric power only.
All while usage continues to rise.
Due to soaring prices and high interest rates.
It managed to complete the race, too.
View Comments
Maybe FORD should consider firing a few design specialists especially those who design the wheels. The white wheels on the 26 FOX Mustang, the hideous blue wheels on the California Special, and after looking at a new Maverick LOBO, who would want black pancakes as wheels?
I fully understand why, because the gorgeous designed cars of the 50s,60s,70s are gone, working molding clay models to get that stunning design, is no longer needed. Now days designers get it easy, all they have to do is draw pictures of head lights and tail lights on paper, cut them out, and paste them on shoe boxes.
Damn, I've been trying to get hired into the Irvine campus for a couple years!
I guess somethings just stay as dreams.
Whoever designed the front end of the 2025 Maverick Truck should be fired ! Huge disappointment. Ranger Trucks look nice.
Most new cars look like a bar of soap. I want the beautiful interiors like the inside of a 65 Riveria and I want that long hood out in front of me with the silver hood ornaments.
That has all been lost.