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Goodbye J Mays (and others)


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From today's Detroit News:

 

"Ford Motor Co. on Tuesday said three long-time executives will retire at the end of the year. J Mays, 59, Ford’s chief creative officer and design chief, will retire after a 33-year automotiveicon1.png career. Jim Tetreault, 58, North American manufacturing chief, will retire after a 25-year career at the Dearborn automaker. And Marty Malloy, 57, labor affairs vice president, calls it a career after 34 years at Ford."


From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20131105/AUTO0102/311050067#ixzz2jmnb1ZG2

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Hmm... I wonder who'll replace Mays? Maybe Callum, seeing as how his design language is all over the current Ford car/CUV lineup. What about Wolff? He's new(-ish) to Ford, and that's a big step up, but he seems to have definite ideas as to design, and the MKC is looking like a pretty good start...

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Yeah, I was thinking Callum would take May's position and hopefully Wolff goes into Callum's position.

Or was Wolff brought on only to head up Lincoln styling?

 

I hope Wolff gets a wider role, Ford and Lincoln needs to keep reinventing itself and the best way to do that is new blood.

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Yeah, I was thinking Callum would take May's position and hopefully Wolff goes into Callum's position.

Or was Wolff brought on only to head up Lincoln styling?

 

I hope Wolff gets a wider role, Ford and Lincoln needs to keep reinventing itself and the best way to do that is new blood.

 

I'll guess we'll find out what Callum has up his sleeve next year. Wolff, Martin Smith, Freeman Thomas were all hired by Mays. Maybe we'll see new roles for all involved, if they stay with the company.

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J Mays seemed like Jekyll and Hyde wrapped into one person. He crapped it on such lemon designs (to my eyes and the marketplace) as the 500, the MKS, and the Thunderbird. He also oversaw (at least allowed, without ruining) successful designs like the new Fusion, the MKZ, and the F150.

And the Ford GT.

Edited by jcthorne
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You do realize that moved happened earlier in the year? I don't see any reason why he would be forced to retire or get "fired" as you put it.

Yes......and that was very short-lived.

 

For starters, how about publicly saying "Lincoln is not true luxury"? What kind of moron would say something like that?

 

A Ford employee from FIN is sure happy he's gone.

Edited by nruggiero
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Yes......and that was very short-lived.

 

For starters, how about publicly saying "Lincoln is not true luxury"? What kind of moron would say something like that?

 

A Ford employee from FIN is sure happy he's gone.

....someone that isnt afraid of speaking the truth.....and Im not familar with FIN...should I be?.

Edited by Deanh
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Yes......and that was very short-lived.

 

For starters, how about publicly saying "Lincoln is not true luxury"? What kind of moron would say something like that?

 

A Ford employee from FIN is sure happy he's gone.

 

Exact words:

 

“No, we’re not true lux­ury,” Mays said Tues­day fol­low­ing an event at the automaker’s Dear­born cam­pus. “We’re in an invest­ment stage with Lin­coln. We’ve prob­a­bly got a 10-year invest­ment to make.”

 

I think that no one would disagree with him either...

 

As for the Ford employee...well anyone can claim that...

 

 

....someone that isnt afraid of speaking the truth.....and Im not familar with FIN...should I be?.

 

Ford Inside News I'm assuming....hell that Ford employee could be a janitor or whatever...I think people who would actually know J Mays would be a bit smarter than that...then again

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....someone that isnt afraid of speaking the truth.....and Im not familar with FIN...should I be?.

It's not speaking the truth, it's speaking the obvious. Ford knows that, and they're working hard to change Lincoln. Meanwhile, J Mays does an interview and belittles Lincoln.

 

FIN (Ford Inside News) is another Ford website I'm affiliated with.

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For starters, how about publicly saying "Lincoln is not true luxury"? What kind of moron would say something like that?

 

Mays has too much standing to be fired for a remark like that.

 

I have no idea why he left. I'm not putting a heckuva lot of stock in the company line.

 

Certainly, there's no reason for Ford to be upset with the output of their design department. In nine years as the head of Ford's overall design strategy, there's been little to complain about. When you consider that Mays most recent misfire was the MKT, and that was what? four? years ago........................

 

Possibly there were some ... irregularities ... in the London office. That would certainly explain why Mays was recalled to Dearborn, and why subsequently, he might be encouraged to move on. Of course this is just a shot in the dark. I don't have anything remotely constituting proof of this.

Edited by RichardJensen
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It's not speaking the truth, it's speaking the obvious. Ford knows that, and they're working hard to change Lincoln. Meanwhile, J Mays does an interview and belittles Lincoln.

 

FIN (Ford Inside News) is another Ford website I'm affiliated with.

I wouldnt say its as belittling at all...fact is Ford left Lincoln on the vine for decades with substandard product and the lowly Lincoln franchaises survived selling used inventory or loss leaders to elderly loyalists. And THEN to rub salt in the wounds, announced they actually had some competitive product in the pipeline, and DEMANDED huge investments from the very dealers they had ignored for so long.....THATS reality, Mays comments were actually NICE in comparison.....

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Maybe we're over reading this, maybe Mays recent comments are no more than a sign that he feels his contribution is coming to an end.

Most of the new corporate styling is now set so It could be as simple as he felt it was time to just move on or just drift along for a few years..

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