Ford has quietly replaced Max Wolff as the head designer of its Lincoln luxury division. Wolff was succeeded by Ford veteran David Woodhouse.
A much ballyhooed hiring in 2010, Wolff joined Lincoln from General Motors’ flourishing Cadillac division. At the time, Ford said in a press release that Wolff would bring a “fresh perspective that will challenge us internally and take Lincoln to new levels of prestige.”
Although Ford didn’t make the move public, Woodhouse’s LinkedIn profile indicates the switch was made in December.The company also hasn’t issued a formal reason for the switch.
“Much like we’ve expanded our global marketing team, design needs that too,” Sam Locricchio, a Ford spokesman, told Bloomberg. “More bodies and more resources dedicated solely to Lincoln is always the goal to get the brand where it needs to be.”
Wolff will remain on as head of exterior design for Lincoln.
Although speculative, John Wolkonowicz, an independent auto analyst and former product planner at Ford, believes Wolff was replaced because he was pushing too hard to differentiate Lincoln vehicles from those offered by Ford. All of Lincoln’s products share their underpinnings with more mundane Fords.
“Max Wolff is an incredibly talented guy,” said Wolkonowicz. “But they don’t want to violate One Ford because One Ford saved that company.”
Woodhouse joined Ford in 1999. He most recently held the position of director of Lincoln strategy.