Phil Simmons joins Land Rover design team
Land Rover has announced that Phil Simmons, currently Chief Designer at Ford of Europe, will join its design team on 1st August 2007. He will be responsible for future design direction of all Range Rover products.
Phil Simmons will be the company’s first-ever studio director responsible specifically for the iconic Range Rover.
Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Design Director
Simmons’ focus on the Range Rover allows Dave Saddington, currently Land Rover Design’s studio director, to assume overall responsibility for future design of all other Land Rover vehicles. Both Simmons and Saddington report to Gerry McGovern.
Land Rover’s Design Director, Gerry McGovern, said: “This new position will help Land Rover to achieve even higher levels of creativity and design leadership for this iconic model and to meet the challenges and opportunities of the luxury automotive market.”
“With this move we’ll also be strengthening the design of future Land Rover models,” said McGovern.
“Though Land Rover and Range Rover are part of the same family, they have subtly different values that must be reflected in their designs and by separating the two studio director jobs we are underlining the importance and distinctiveness of both nameplates.”
Julian Thomson will continue as studio director for Jaguar and Land Rover Advanced Design, reporting jointly to McGovern and Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum. He is responsible for advanced design work on all Jaguar and Land Rover brand vehicles.
Adriana Monk, former Chief Designer for Jaguar and Land Rover Advanced Design interiors, becomes Chief Designer, Land Rover Interior Design.
Sketch by Phil Simmons (Image Source: AustinRover.co.uk)
“Overall these changes strengthen the whole design team,” said McGovern. “Our Land Rover and Range Rover design is internationally celebrated and admired. I’m confident that our future vehicles will be even more trend setting, desirable and distinctive.”
About Phil Simmons
Phil Simmons spent the first 10 years of his career at Land Rover, culminating in exterior design of the current (third) generation Range Rover.
He subsequently moved to Ford Motor Company in the US, where he was responsible for Ford’s family of medium size vehicles such as the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ.
He was appointed Chief Designer for Ford of Europe in September 1999.
(Source: Land Rover)
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