New design director at Lincoln; Curic moves to Ford Performance
By James McLachlan2025-02-18T09:21:00
In an internal shake-up, Kemal Curic has left Lincoln to head up the Ford Performance division while Christine Cheng takes Curic’s former role. The Irvine studio is also set to close design operations as Ford consolidates its design teams in Dearborn
Kemal Curic, the designer who has revitalised Lincoln’s design, is moving to a new role as global design director for Ford Performance Vehicles. The move is something of a return for Curic, who designed the sixth generation Mustang exterior and has always had a fascination for classic American muscle cars. Curic will be tasked with invigorating nameplates like the aforementioned Mustang and Ranger Raptor.
Curic took over at Lincoln in 2019 from David Woodhouse having already been heavily involved in the brand. The designer, who reportedly has one of the hottest pens in the business, leaves a strong legacy at Lincoln, evolving the US luxury brand’s “Quiet Flight” design language, which combined restrained exteriors (by US standards) with refined engines and brilliantly finished interiors…