Ex-Ford Designer Woodhouse Lands at Nissan

Nissan Motor Co. has named David Woodhouse, previously director of strategic design at Ford Motor Co., as its new design chief for North America.

Woodhouse, 50, left Ford earlier this month after 20 years, citing a “difficult” decision. He led Lincoln design since late 2013. Previous assignments included stints at BMW, Cadillac, Mini and Range Rover. 

Woodhouse succeeds Taro Ueda, who has moved to a global role at Nissan.

In his new job, Woodhouse will lead all design activities in North American for Nissan and its Infiniti luxury brand. He arrives as the carmaker hopes to revive sales with the help of a multi-year plan to refresh about 70% of its product lineup.