Ex Lincoln Chief Designer Joins Nissan Design America As VP

It didn’t take long for the mystery of design director David Woodhouse’s sudden departure from Lincoln and Ford to clear up.

As it turns out, the British designer was poached by Nissan Design America (NDA) where he will serve as vice president. In his new role, Lincoln’s former design director and Ford’s former director of global strategic design “will lead all Nissan and Infiniti design activities in North America.” He will also serve on the company’s Global Nissan Design Management Committee.

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“As we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Nissan Design America, I am pleased that David Woodhouse will be leading and inspiring our talented team in San Diego,” said Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan Motor’s senior vice president for Global Design.

“David’s talent, leadership, and vision will ensure that NDA shapes an exciting future for the Infiniti and Nissan brands as well as groundbreaking user experience concepts for our customers for years to come,” the executive added.

No further details about Woodhouse’s role at Nissan Design America have been released but, then again, it’s pretty clear that he will have the last word when it comes to the design of all future Nissan and Infiniti production and concept vehicles for North America.

His influence may go beyond the region, however, as NDA designs vehicles for global markets with a particular emphasis on the North American region. The studio works in close collaboration with its global design counterparts, as well as with Nissan Technical Centers in Japan and North America.

Nissan Design America headquarters in San Diego, California

Founded in 1979, Nissan Design America was the Japanese automaker’s first design studio outside of Japan. Today, it is a “full-production design studio capable of handling all phases of automotive design development, from exploratory to production.”

With 25 years of global automotive design expertise behind him, David Woodhouse has worked for important brands including BMW, Mini, Range Rover, Cadillac, Ford and Lincoln.