European design chief Murat Gueler explained that past nameplates such as Puma, Kuga, and Mustang can “emotionalise” the new cars. He stated that Ford has decided to revive more historic model names for new cars.
The retro design of Fiestas did not influence the facelift of the current car. The variety of high-profile models will also not be a feature of any upcoming Ford models. Instead, the chief designer explained that Ford is more interested in its past successes and more likely to bring back their names.
Gueler said, “The industry is in its craziest time ever since I joined 20 years ago, and I’ve never seen it so disruptive as it is now. There’s a lot of stuff coming onto the market and consumers are bombarded with all kinds of products and information.”
Then he added, “There’s a lot of stuff coming from China which is very competitive, and the Koreans are already very competitive with beautiful designs and strong technology, so the question for manufacturers like Ford is ‘how do you position yourself?’. The design chief also said, “I think we have the unique asset of having nameplates from the past that we can tap into to emotionalise our product and to tell stories no other brand can tell.”
Gueler didn’t specify any model names that Ford is deciding for revival. But he acknowledged that the auto company has decided to apply such a technique. He said, “an opportunity for Ford to distinguish itself from the bombardment of electrification that’s coming”. Then he concluded, “There is an opportunity with nameplates that you can really refresh and execute in the right way to distinguish yourself from others.”