People Archives

Anna Costamagna on Experience Design, Diversity and Design Management

Eric Gallina — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 08:39:00 +0000

Anna Costamagna is an Italian Interior Design Manager working at Peugeot and Advanced Design Manager for Stellantis. While her mother worked as an assistant to Sergio Pininfarina, she was initially drawn to fashion design before venturing down the path in automotive. She began her career at Bertone in Caprie, a suburb of her native Turin, after studying engineering and management at the acclaimed Politecnico di Torino. Costamagna then moved to Paris, France, to bring Peugeot production cars to fruition. Despite […]

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Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos Appointed Alfa Romeo Head of Design

Eric Gallina — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 11:05:00 +0000

There have been – as previously reported – many changes taking place within design at FCA’s European design facility since the Italy-based company and French manufacturer PSA merged to form the Stellantis Group at the start of the year. Besides the appointment of Francois Leboine to head the Fiat-Abarth brands and the welcome announcement of the revival of the Lancia brand (which will now be led by Stellantis Chief Design Officer Jean-Pierre Ploué), it has now been confirmed that Alejandro […]

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Pratap Bose Appointed Chief Design Officer at Mahindra Group

Eric Gallina — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 17:41:04 +0000

Mahindra Group has announced the appointment of Pratap Bose as the Executive Vice President and Chief Design Officer to lead its newly formed Global Design organization. The new Global Design organization, expected to be headquartered in the UK, aims to ‘renew Mahindra’s commitment to reshaping the future of mobility by designing and developing dynamically engineered next-generation authentic products with global appeal’, according to the company press release. Bose, who until recently was Head of Design at Mahindra’s cross-town rival Tata […]

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Paolo Tumminelli on How to Keep the Automobile Relevant and Renew Its Emotional Connection With Customers

Radek Laube — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 08:02:00 +0000

The automotive industry is going through a seismic change. From electric cars to MaaS, the traditional business model is evolving, so too is the public’s perception of the automobile as a machine to carry society away from its problems and provide freedom to the end-user. Arguably, much of what is transpiring around the world is the result of regulation and legislation, all of which is taking place outside of automotive companies themselves and thus beyond their control. But are there […]

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Renault’s Francois Leboine Appointed Head of Design for Fiat-Abarth

Eric Gallina — Wed, 26 May 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Renault has been shedding talent since the formation of the Stellantis Group and the announcement of Jean-Pierre Ploué as Chief Design Officer for the Group’s European division. Last month, insiders at FCA divulged that Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos would soon join Alfa Romeo (a move as yet unconfirmed by Stellantis communications). Now Stellantis has confirmed that François Leboine, formerly Renault’s Head of Concept Cars, has left to lead both the Fiat and Abarth brands. The move is the latest in a series […]

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Anders Warming Returns to BMW Group as Rolls-Royce Design Director

Eric Gallina — Mon, 24 May 2021 09:54:00 +0000

Anders Warming will soon become Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ new Director of Design, trading in his independent design consultancy Warming Design to return to the BMW Group, a company he resigned from six years ago. He will start his new role on July 1, 2021. The announcement is surprising as we all thought Warming was enjoying his time as a free agent. He has worked on a number of product design, concept and production car projects since establishing his eponymous design […]

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Martin Uhlarik Promoted to Tata Motors Head of Global Design as Pratap Bose Resigns

Eric Gallina — Tue, 04 May 2021 11:00:00 +0000

Pratap Bose, the longtime Head of Global Design at Tata Motors, announced his resignation on Wednesday, April 28th. Tata Motors immediately responded by promoting Martin Uhlarik, formerly Head of the European Design Technical Center (TMETC), as his replacement. The news came as a shock to many within the industry and beyond. Bose has been a wonderful spokesman for the company in his 14 years at the helm of the design organization, having gone through numerous vehicle programs – both in […]

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Wayne Burgess Appointed Head of Vehicle Design at Ola Electric

Eric Gallina — Tue, 04 May 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Ola – India’s largest mobility platform and one of the world’s largest ride-hailing companies – has appointed Wayne Burgess Head of Vehicle Design for its Ola Electric division. He will be tasked with overseeing the future lineup of the company’s forthcoming E-Mobility product range, which is still in its nascent phase. The company recently received a further $300m investment to help it transition to building cars, bikes, and other forms of electric mobility. “I am looking forward to my work at […]

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The Female Design Team Behind Lucid Motors

Eric Gallina — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 16:29:46 +0000

Automotive design is a largely male-dominated profession, but nascent electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid Motors is not your typical car company. Form Trends editor Eric Gallina speaks with Joann Jung, Sue Magnusson, and Jenny Ha – the interior design director, CMF design director, and exterior design manager, respectively – who are working to develop the California startup’s new line of vehicles. This conversation takes us down various paths speaking about each of these wonderful ladies’ backgrounds, the Lucid brand, and the […]

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Ex-Volkswagen Group Design Chief Murat Günak Named Head of Design at TOGG

Eric Gallina — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 08:05:00 +0000

Former Mercedes and VW design chief Murat Günak recently joined Turkish carmaker TOGG as head of design. In his new role, he will oversee all of the design operations of the brand from its headquarters in Gebze, Turkey. The company currently has two vehicles in the pipeline – a sedan and an SUV – which were designed by Pininfarina and shown in 2018. News of Günak’s appointment was confirmed in a low-key and rather unusual way: TOGG shared a video […]

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Remembering Robert Opron – Legendary Car Designer (1932-2021)

Eric Gallina — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Legendary French car designer Robert Opron passed away on March 29. He was 89 years old. Robert Opron was a highly influential designer who spent most of his career between two countries – straddling the line between France and Italy. It’s no surprise then that his name within design circles is synonymous with the sublime Citroën SM, a French-bodied Gran Turismo with an Italian engine sourced from Maserati. Born in France and raised largely in Africa, Opron attended l’École des […]

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Yasutake Tsuchida Appointed Head of Mazda’s US Design Studio

Eric Gallina — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Mazda’s North American design studio has been devoid of a design director since Julien Montousse left to join Archer Aviation in November 2020. Now the Japanese carmaker has officially announced the appointment of longtime Mazda designer, Yasutake Tsuchida, as his replacement. Tsuchida’s new post is officially Senior Director of Design, though many of the core functions of the position remain identical to Montousse’s responsibilities as Vice President. He will oversee design operations, including next-generation vehicle planning and brand strategy development […]

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