Moray S. Callum (born 19 November 1958) is a Scottish
automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...
designer who was Vice President, Design for
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
, having retired on 1 May 2021. His elder brother
Ian Callum
Ian Stuart Callum (born 30 July 1954) is a Scottish car designer who has worked for Ford, TWR, and Aston Martin. In 1999 he became the Director of Design for Jaguar Cars, later Jaguar Land Rover, a position he held until mid 2019.
In 2019, ...
was the Design Director of
Jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
from 1999 to 2019.
Early years
Callum was born in
Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. He initially intended to become a veterinarian, though by university age Callum elected to study architecture at
Napier University
, mottoeng = Without knowledge, everything is in vain
, established = 1992 – granted University status 1964 – Napier Technical College
, type = Public
, academic_staff = 802
, administrative_staff = 562
, chancellor = Will Whitehorn
, ...
in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
before becoming disillusioned with the prospect of calculating the size of waste pipes of seven-story buildings for the rest of his life.
['A Golden Touch That Runs in the Family', Phil Patton, ''The New York Times'' 25 Oct 200]
accessed 16 Apr 2016 He changed disciplines and graduated in
industrial design
Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical Product (business), products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in advan ...
and followed the well-trodden car designer path of continuing his studies at the
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, graduating with a master's degree in transportation design.
Career
Early career
Upon graduation, Callum's car design career began in 1982 where he worked for
Chrysler
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
before joining
PSA Peugeot Citroën
The PSA Group (), legally known as Peugeot S.A. (Peugeot Société Anonyme, trading as Groupe PSA; formerly known as PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles ...
advanced studio in Poissy, France, contributing to the design of passenger and commercial vehicles. In 1988/1989, Callum joined
Ghia
Carrozzeria Ghia SpA (established 1916 in Turin) is an Italian automobile design and coachbuilding firm, established by Giacinto Ghia and Gariglio as "Carrozzeria Ghia & Gariglio". The headquarters are located at Corso Guglielmo Marconi, 4, Turin ...
as a consultant designer where he contributed to the 1989 Ghia Via concept and the
Aston Martin Lagonda Vignale
The Aston Martin Lagonda Vignale is a five-seater concept car built by Ghia for Lagonda. It was designed by Moray Callum at Ghia and unveiled in 1993 at the Geneva Motor Show alongside the Aston Martin DB7, designed by Moray's older brother, Ia ...
. He also participated in Ghia's design consultancy to Jaguar.
Ford
In 1995 Callum was hired by Ford, for whom he had worked on numerous projects at Ghia, to work in
Dearborn, Michigan
Dearborn is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 109,976. Dearborn is the seventh most-populated city in Michigan and is home to the largest Muslim population in the United States pe ...
, on North American vehicles. He worked on various notable North American projects including the facelift of the 2000
Ford Taurus
The Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from the 1986 to 2019 model years. Introduced in late 1985 for the 1986 model year, six generations were produced over 34 years; a brief hiat ...
, whose front grille design has been mischievously cited by some critics as the inspiration for his brother's 2006
Jaguar XK
The Jaguar XK is a two-door 2+2 grand tourer manufactured and marketed by British automobile manufacturer Jaguar Cars from 1996–2014 in hatchback coupé and convertible bodystyles, across two generations. The XK was introduced at the Ge ...
design, as opposed to the
Jaguar E-Type
The Jaguar E-Type, or the Jaguar XK-E for the North American market, is a British sports car that was manufactured by Jaguar Cars Ltd between 1961 and 1974. Its combination of beauty, high performance, and competitive pricing established the m ...
which inspired both.
He also did work on the
Ford Windstar
The Ford Windstar (later the Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey) is a minivan that was produced and sold by Ford. The replacement for the Ford Aerostar, the Windstar adopted the front-wheel drive configuration of the Chrysler minivans. From the ...
,
Mercury Villager
The Mercury Villager is a minivan that was marketed by the Mercury division of Ford. The first of two minivans sold by Mercury, two generations were sold from the 1993 to 2002 model years. Competing against the Chrysler minivans and the General ...
,
Super Duty pickup trucks,
Ford Excursion
The Ford Excursion is a heavy duty ( Class 2), full-sized SUV that was produced by Ford. The longest and heaviest SUV ever to enter mass production, the Excursion was marketed as a direct competitor of the 2500-series (-ton) Chevrolet Suburba ...
, and the Ford EX concept.
Mazda
On 7 September 2001, Callum was promoted to lead
Mazda
, commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan.
In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...
worldwide design, where his team included Tsutomu "Tom" Matano, the designer of the
Mazda MX-5
The Mazda MX-5 is a lightweight two-passenger roadster sports car manufactured and marketed by Mazda with a front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. The convertible is marketed as the or in Japan, and as the Mazda Miata () in the United Sta ...
. Callum was tasked with revitalising the Mazda range, which by the late 1990s was regarded as bland,
and in this respect Callum has largely been viewed as successful with the creation of a consistent brand look that featured 'crisp black interiors and red-lighted instruments' and exteriors with 'edgy shapes that were emotional and almost biological – part flame, part flower, expressive of the sporting image the company sought'.
He oversaw the daunting 2005 redesign of the iconic
MX-5 and worked on almost every other vehicle in Mazda's passenger car range including the 2006
Mazda5 5M or 5-M may refer to:
* 5M model, a troubleshooting and risk-management model used for aviation safety
* Sibaviatrans (IATA code), a former airline
* 5M, a Toyota M engine
Toyota Motor Corporation's M family of engines were a longitudinally mou ...
. He was also responsible for leading the design of Mazda's new sporty crossovers, the 2007
CX-7 and
CX-9 which were previewed by the 2005 Mazda MX-Crossport concept. He was also instrumental in the production of the Washu (Detroit 2003),
Ibuki (Tokyo 2003), and
Kabura (Detroit 2006)
concept car
A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...
s.
Return to Ford
Having overseen Mazda's successful reinvention as a dynamic and sporty brand, Callum was moved by
J Mays
J Mays is an American industrial designer who served as Group Vice President of Global Design and Chief Creative Officer at Ford Motor Company, and is now Chief Design Officer at Whirlpool. His name is simply "J", named after his grandfather, S ...
back to Ford as Design Director for Ford's North American brands passenger cars where he reported to
Peter Horbury
Peter D. Horbury (born 27 January 1950)Uzel, Susan, ''The Yorkshire Post'', "Profile - Peter Horbury: Vice president’s lifelong hobby of making cars better by design", 29 Nov 2011 accessed 1 May 2020 is a British car designer who is Executive V ...
from May 2006. This move, along with Horbury's appointment as Executive Design Director for Ford North American brands, was part of Ford's attempt to consolidate its ‘Red, White & Bold’ design strategy in an attempt to breathe fresh design into its expanding car line-up in North America. Callum was replaced at Mazda by
Laurens van den Acker
Laurens van den Acker (born 5 September 1965, Deurne, North Brabant) is a Dutch automobile designer.
Biography
Van den Acker studied at the Delft University of Technology, where he obtained a Master of Engineering at the Faculty of Industri ...
whilst his predecessor
Patrick Schiavone was appointed designer of North American SUVs and pick-ups at Ford.
In May 2009, Horbury returned to
Volvo Cars
Volvo Cars ( sv, Volvo personvagnar, styled VOLVO in the company's logo) is a Swedish multinational manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Torslanda, Gothenburg. The company manufactures SUVs, station wagons, and sedans. The company's ...
and Callum was promoted to Executive Director, Ford Americas design, with overall responsibility for American trucks and passenger cars, including
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincoln ...
.
['Peter Horbury returns to head Volvo design; Moray Callum in as Ford's design chief', Chris Paukert, Autoblog.com]
accessed 16 Apr 2016 During this time, he oversaw the design and launch of numerous American products, for example: the 2011 fifth generation
Ford Explorer
The Ford Explorer is a range of SUVs manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. The first four-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer was introduced as a replacement for the two-door Bronco II. Within the current Ford light ...
, 2013 second generation
Ford Fusion, 2013 second generation
Lincoln MKZ
The Lincoln MKZ, is a four-door, five-passenger mid-size luxury sedan manufactured by Ford and marketed as the Zephyr ( MY 2006) and as the MKZ (MY 2007–2020) by Ford's Lincoln brand across two generations in both gasoline and hybrid gas/electri ...
, and 2013 second generation
Ford EcoSport
The Ford EcoSport (pronounced ) is a subcompact crossover SUV (B-segment) manufactured by Ford. The first-generation model was developed and built in Brazil by Ford Brazil since 2003, at the Camaçari plant. The second-generation model was laun ...
.
['Moray Callum, Vice President, Design, Ford Motor Company', Ford Motor Compan]
accessed 16 Apr 2016
In 2014, Callum was promoted to Vice President, Design, Ford Motor Company, replacing the retiring J Mays and charged with responsibility of all concept and production vehicles for the Ford and Lincoln brands globally.
He unveiled the 2015 sixth generation
Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang and the 2017 second generation
Ford GT
The Ford GT is a mid-engine two-seater sports car manufactured and marketed by American automobile manufacturer Ford for the 2005 model year in conjunction with the company's 2003 centenary. The second generation Ford GT became available for th ...
.
On 1 May 2021, Moray retired from Ford Motor Company. Anthony Lo, formerly of
Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
, superseded him.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Callum, Moray
1958 births
Chrysler designers
Ford designers
Mazda
British automobile designers
Scottish designers
Alumni of the Royal College of Art
Alumni of Edinburgh Napier University
Living people
People from Dumfries