Chief Design Officer Anthony Lo brings a wealth of experience from a career spent working around the world at other automakers. He recently shared his background and career highlights and looked at the future of Ford and Lincoln design while speaking to the Ford Retired Engineering Executives group in Dearborn. 

Lo, who currently splits time between Europe and Dearborn, joined Ford last year. He was previously vice president of exterior design for Renault, where the company’s “Cycle of Life” design strategy showcased a series of award-winning concept cars. The Hong Kong native and graduate of London’s Royal College of Art also served as director of advanced design for General Motors Europe and Mercedes-Benz in Japan, where he worked on the company’s Maybach concept and S-Class vehicles. He also worked for Audi in Germany and started his career with Lotus Cars.

Lo said he is still learning about truck design but is confident about the company’s design direction especially in North America partly due to Ford’s decades of truck leadership. In addition to sharing his background with the Ford retirees, Lo also discussed the future of design for electric vehicles, which will need to continue to account for evolving battery technology. He also explained that every part of a customer’s interaction with a vehicle’s design informs their customer experience, noting that designers need to balance art and science in the process.

Lo also discussed the design of the Lincoln Star and Model L100 concepts, the allure of which was enough to get President Joe Biden’s attention and an unplanned visit to the Lincoln display at the North American International Auto Show earlier this month.  

“He wasn’t supposed to stop there,” said Lo, noting that Biden got a tour of the Lincoln stand from Lincoln President Joy Falotico and Design Director Kemal Curic. “The other manufacturers weren’t too happy about it, and the Secret Service was trying to stop him, but he really wanted to see the L100.”

The President’s reaction mirrored the response the brand has received from the industry, automotive media, influencers and retailers alike for the two concept vehicles, Lo said. The Model L100 was created to celebrate the brand’s 100th anniversary as part of Ford Motor Company, but it also signals some elements of the brand’s design direction.

Ford’s last proper concept vehicle was the 2010s Evos, Lo said, suggesting that the company use a concept-first approach. “The world has really changed, he told retirees. “We need to think about the future more than five years ahead.”

Lo was introduced by former Ford Design vice president Jack Telnack, who led the Fox body Mustang design team, among many other accomplishments, during his 40-year career with Ford.

F.R.E.E. group member Max Kapadia, who retired in 2004 as a chief program engineer after 37 years with Ford, said the company is moving in the right direction and that risks, such as leaving the sedan market, as Ford did in recent years, occasionally need to be taken. He also likes the way the company’s designs are trending.

“There’s a major change going on at Ford, and people want to be more imagination-oriented as opposed to being too conservative, and it’s going to pay off long-term,” he said.

Darrell Rande, who retired last year from Product Development IT, where he helped manage cycle planning, said he appreciated hearing about the direction of Lincoln. He also applauded recent leadership changes within the company that have seen new executives from technology and other fields taking roles that may have previously gone to Ford or industry veterans.

“They’re making good moves, and hearing (our guests) talk always gives you more confidence in where things are going,” Rande said. “I like seeing new blood coming in and having new ways of thinking, and they’re doing it at a high level at a position where they can shake things up. They have opportunities to make a change, and they’re coming from so many different companies. It’s great to see.”

In the coming months, the F.R.E.E. group will hear presentations from Ford Land Chair and CEO Jim Dobleske and F-150 Lightning Chief Engineer Linda Zhang.