Major Design Shakeup at Ford

Ford said Callum, who was born in Scotland, will position the company to move "into a new era of global products." The automaker noted that "in addition to lead responsibility for all Ford cars and trucks designed in North and South America studios, Callum also will guide the design of Lincoln and Mercury products."

Callum's career has had a global flavor, with assignments including Chrysler, Peugeot-Citroën, Ford's Ghia studio in Italy and Mazda. The vehicles he has shaped include the 2010 Ford Taurus, the 2008 Mazda 6 and the Mazda Senku concept. He is currently director of design for cars at Ford Americas. The two appointments will become effective May 1, said Ford.

Horbury is best known for the extreme makeover of Volvo and such noteworthy products as the 1992 Volvo ECC concept, which morphed into the Volvo S80. He returns to Volvo at a tenuous time. The "for sale" sign is up in front of Volvo, the last of Ford's Premier Automotive Group brands to survive. Widespread speculation in the media says that several Chinese automakers are interested in purchasing Volvo.

"Good to have Peter back in our family," said Volvo Cars North America spokesman Dan Johnston in an e-mail message to Inside Line on Wednesday.

It's a major shakeup for Ford design at a time when the automaker is scrambling for survival — even though it is not in such dire circumstances as GM and Chrysler.

Callum is the brother of Ian Callum, the director of design at Jaguar. The duo were glowingly described in 2006 in a New York Times story entitled "Design: A Golden Touch That Runs in the Family" as "international stars of auto design, the equivalent in their profession of the Bush brothers in politics, the Baldwins in acting, the Mannings in football quarterbacking."

The affable Horbury is credited with making the stodgy Swedish brand stylish as it abandoned the traditional boxy shape in favor of a sleeker silhouette. Horbury was also a proponent of cars reflecting the culture. In 2005, he told Inside Line that he wanted the Ford Fusion to have "great teeth," like the Americans who drove the midsize sedan. The car's teeth were the distinctive three chrome bars that cut across its front end. The philosophy was also dubbed, 'Hi, I'm Dave,'" Horbury said.

Horbury — a Brit — was given "the daunting task of renewing the design language of all Ford America's brands in the wake of sliding sales," noted Wikipedia in its profile of the designer.

Inside Line says: Ford design is in the hands of a superstar. But the question remains: Will Peter Horbury end up designing cars not in Gothenburg, Sweden, but Shanghai, China? — Anita Lienert, Correspondent