LON ZABACK: VETERAN FORD DESIGNER HARNESSES TECHNOLOGY TO CREATE ICONIC VEHICLES

Lon Zaback, interior designer, 2010 Ford Taurus
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• Lon Zaback is interior designer of the 2010 Ford Taurus
• Zaback uses technology throughout the design process to lower costs, speed development and increase vehicle quality
• He is a graduate of Detroit's College for Creative Studies

Lon Zaback has the experience and skills to impact both process and product. The interior design of the 2010 Taurus represents Zaback’s most recent achievement in his 16 years with Ford.

“Reinvigorating an icon like Taurus allowed us to combine technology, process innovation and design language to a new level – in record time,” explains Zaback with an easy smile. “The computer allows the entire development timeline to be compressed.”

The graduate of Detroit’s College for Creative Studies’ Automotive Design curriculum started his career designing in the aftermarket before joining a budding computer-aided design supplier. Zaback subsequently was recruited to Ford’s design staff based on his comfort and competence with then-emergent design technologies.

Within Ford, Zaback has been a driver of using technology throughout the design process to lower costs, speed development and increase vehicle quality. His proficiency with computer-aided design tools, combined with his passionate aesthetic for the vehicles he contributes to, has strongly influenced many successful offerings.

In addition to the interior design of the expressive new 2010 Taurus, other current products bearing Zaback’s stamp include both interior and exterior designs for the Ford Focus and the interior design of the new F-Series Super Duty trucks.

“With trucks, the design is larger than life,” comments Zaback. “As if everything seems to be bigger than it really is. The ruggedness and size of the truck product is conveyed through the design. With cars, it’s all about elegance.”

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  About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents.  With about 201,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company ’ s automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo.  The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company.  For more information regarding Ford ’ s products, please visit www.ford.com .

Sept. 30, 2009