Ford’s new design chief was a key creative force behind Renault’s rise

PARIS — At Renault, Anthony Lo worked behind the scenes as head of exterior design to oversee a swift overhaul of the brand’s range that many credited with helping to boost the brand into the No. 2 slot in Europe. 

Now, after a decade at the French automaker, Lo is taking on a far bigger challenge as global head of design at Ford. Rather than focusing on smaller cars as he did at Renault, Lo will be asked to oversee design of Ford’s lucrative big pickups, rugged SUVs sold by Bronco, and electric vehicles that bear the hallowed Mustang name.

The Hong Kong-born and UK-educated Lo should be up for the task, said Patrick Le Quement, who in his four-decade career was head of design at Renault and a top designer at Ford. 

“He will really come into his own when he arrives at Ford,” le Quement, who now designs boats in France, said in a telephone interview. “All those years he’s been working have been leading up to this big step.” 

The soft-spoken Lo started his career at Lotus in the UK in the mid-1980s, moving to Audi then Daimler in quick succession. In 2000 he became head of advanced design at Saab, where he was responsible for the influential Aero X concept, and then took over advanced design for GM Motors Europe, including Opel/Vauxhall.