2001 Lincoln Town Car Signature Sedan 4-door 4.6l on 2040-cars

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J Mays retiring from Ford design, succeeded by Moray Callum

Ford's highly influential head of design, J Mays, has announced that he'll be retiring from his position after 33 years in the industry, 16 of which were at the Dearborn, MI-based company. Upon departure, he'll be succeeded as group vice president of design by Moray Callum. If that last name sounds familiar, yes, he's the brother of Jaguar's Ian Callum.
It's difficult to explain just how big of a role Mays had on not just Ford's design over the years, but on the entire industry. Before heading to Dearborn, Mays worked for Audi, BMW and then Volkswagen, where he was involved in concept cars that paved the way for design icons like the first-generation Audi TT and the Volkswagen New Beetle. As for his Ford resume, it's extensive.
Mays joined the company in 1997 as design director for Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Mazda, as well as the Premier Automotive Group (Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar and Aston Martin). He was heavily involved in the Ford Fusion, Focus, Fiesta, Taurus, F-150 and Mustang, while also contributing to concept cars like the Atlas, Evos, 427, Forty-Nine, Shelby GR-1, Lincoln MKZ and the MKC.

2015 Lincoln MKC priced from $33,995* [w/poll]

Looking to build on the momentum it struggled to establish with the MKZ, Lincoln recently unveiled the production version of its all-new MKC last month at the LA Auto Show. With a proven platform shared with the Ford Escape and striking design, the 2015 Lincoln MKC goes on sale next summer ready to take on the ever-expanding world of luxury compact crossovers. Breaking into this new segment, Lincoln has priced the MKC aggressively as one of the least-expensive offerings in its class, starting at $33,995 (*including destination charges).
At that price, the 2015 MKC costs a little bit more than a fully loaded 2014 Ford Escape Titanium and is just slightly less costly than the Acura RDX and Volvo XC60. More importantly, it's thousands less than Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes GLK-Class. The MKC will be offered in three trim levels for now - there is still no more information about Lincoln's new Black Label products - ranging from the base Premiere up to the range-topping Reserve.
The Premiere will come standard with features like active grille shutters, push-button start, remote start, dual-zone climate control and heated front seats, while the midgrade Select starts at $37,225 and adds upgraded 18-inch wheels, ambient lighting, daytime running lights and a steering wheel featuring Wollsdorf leather. The top-shelf Reserve trim level starts at $40,930 and brings even more luxury features including the panoramic roof, navigation, cooled front seats and wifi access.

Ford and Lincoln design honcho leaves to head Nissan North America design

Last Friday, David Woodhouse suddenly resigned from his dual positions as Ford's director of global strategic design and director of Lincoln design. In a post not long after leaving, he praised the efforts of his former team over the past six years he headed design at Lincoln. Among other products, that crew gave us the redesigned Navigator, the Continental concept and production sedan, and the Aviator concept and production crossover. Car Design News reports Woodhouse traded Michigan for California, taking the role of VP at Nissan Design America in San Diego. He officially assumes the position July 1, and will also serve on the Japanese automaker's Global Nissan Design Management Committee. Woodhouse has spent more than 25 years in the design department, starting with BMW and work on the Mini and Range Rover brands, followed by a brief stint with Cadillac of Europe. For the past 20 years he's been with Ford, coming on board with the Ford's former luxury arm known as the Premier Automotive Group — Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin, Volvo and Lincoln. He became Lincoln's design director in 2013, introducing the world to the design language labeled "quiet flight." He described the language's details as "anti-wedge body gestures, S-curves wherever possible, and an emphasis on horizontal lines at every opportunity to create leaner, longer, wider emphasis on the exteriors, and create equilibrium, balance, and calmness on the interiors." A much shorter way to describe it is: revitalized Lincolns. The U.S. luxury maker's new and overhauled products have been praised for their lines by critics and by paying customers. The brand's done so well it's hard to remember when the MKC concept was a revelation, and that goes on Woodhouse's resume, too. That's some special juju to take to Nissan, where Woodhouse will lead both Nissan and Infiniti design focused on the North American region. Nissan has a solid if uninspiring lineup that sells well here, while Infiniti, as the luxury brand, is the bigger issue. Infiniti sedans glide on the contrails of a design language more than 10 years old. The money-making crossovers and SUVs haven't made a splash in about the same time, since the long-ago FX45. Nissan's plan to update 70 percent of its lineup over the next few years and Infiniti's transition to an all-electric brand makes right now the perfect time to break into riveting designs for the street. Woodhouse replaces Taro Ueda, who moves into a global role with Nissan.