One year after his appointment as Chief Design Officer of Ford Motor Company, Anthony Lo anticipates some concepts related to the new design processes of the group and offers some ideas to reflect on, such as the new opportunities offered by electric propulsion in design and the role increasingly central of the interior design. “The development of electrically powered concept cars offers us an unrepeatable opportunity to rethink the car and its architecture, giving space to new design possibilities and aesthetic innovations. Concept cars are real test platforms that allow us to explore and evolve our stylistic language”.
A first glimpse of this approach and Anthony Lo’s vision is certainly the Lincoln Star Concept, unveiled on April 20, 2022. A project that will inspire the 100% electric vehicles of the American luxury brand in the near future. “This car allows us to assess the public’s reaction to our new design direction”, says Lo.
When asked how mobility is changing and consequently the relationship of people with it, he replies: “Also in relation to this consideration, it is important to consider that electrification offers designers greater flexibility, an important condition for dealing with change”. And he adds: “This greater design freedom is expressed above all in the interiors where, thanks to the presence of platforms that house flat batteries and have a structure similar to that of a skateboard, we can develop design solutions that are closer to the real needs of the end user. If in the past it was the exterior that take the lead, today we can focus more on the passenger compartment, on larger spaces, connectivity and digitization”.
“The design process is reversing, today our teams work thinking first of all who will be the customers, to design the internal experience based on their specific needs. Then they give shape to the exterior, with the same care and passion as always”. On the subject of the designer’s work and his sources of inspiration, he adds: “The designer’s mind must always be open. Regardless of your area of expertise, it is important to know that everything is interconnected. From fashion to architecture, from urban planning to mobility, the integration between various systems is fundamental”.
