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Ford's J Mays feels vindicated by Fusion reception

It's hard to think back now, but the same man overseeing the design of the 2013 Ford Fusion also presided over a rather lackluster period in Ford design, highlighted by vehicles like the Five Hundred and Freestyle. With the redesigned Fusion receiving high praise, J Mays tells Automotive News that he feels vindicated from criticisms suggesting he's not a daring enough designer.
When Mays took over as lead of design in 1997, he admits to having quite an ego ("My head would barely fit through the door some days. I've long since gotten over myself") and the workload to match. With the Blue Oval's portfolio full of premium brands like Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo at that point, along with the bread-and-butter Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models, Mays certainly had quite the challenge.
It was in the mid-2000s that Mays took over just the premium brands, and took on the new title of Chief Creative Officer. At the time, Mays endured some criticism for looking backwards to retro styling, rather than setting a new standard for American car design - criticism that Mays says he is free from with the all-new Fusion.

Ian Callum, Brian Johnson and Lord March pick 10 top Jaguars

An automaker with as rich a heritage as Jaguar is bound to create a few experts along the way... and some divergent opinions, too. So on the eve of the debut of the new XE, Jaguar brought together three experts to whittle down the long list of classic Leaping Cats to just ten.
For this gargantuan task, it brought in Ian Callum (who, as the company's chief designer, knows a thing or two about Jaguars), Lord Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox (the Earl of March and founder of the Goodwood Revival) and Brian Johnson - who may be better known as the frontman of AC/DC, but also a classic car enthusiast, collector and racer in his own right.
So what did the designer, the nobleman and the celebrity choose? The SS100, XK120 (namely number NUB 120), the C-Type that competed at the 1953 Mille Miglia, the D-Type that won at Reims, the Mk II sedan, the E-Type that served as the Geneva show car, the one and only XJ13, company founder Sir William Lyons' personal XJ6 S1, the TWR XJS touring car and the 1988 Le Mans-winning XJR-9.

The Lister SUV-E is a faster Jaguar I-Pace

The Jaguar I-Pace is getting a bump from Lister. Yes, Lister of all companies is going to be selling a limited amount of what it calls the Lister SUV-E. It’s more than just some splotches of paint and a higher price tag, too. Lister says it gave the Jag a software update, resulting in more horsepower and torque over a standard I-Pace. We donÂ’t know how much more, but Lister is promising a 0-60 mph time of four seconds. ThatÂ’s 0.5 second quicker than a normal I-Pace, so Lister obviously made a significant difference with its tune. However, Lister also managed to remove 220 pounds from the I-Pace through various lightweighting efforts, bringing the curb weight down to 4,482 pounds. So, itÂ’s still heavy, but weÂ’re sure this will feel just a hair better in every way. Carbon fiber parts are the main source of weight loss. Lister has used the lightweight material for the front bumper, hood, splitter, rear bumper, roof spoiler and rear diffuser. Carbon ceramic brakes and titanium wheels lower the unsprung weight of the car, too. Strangely, Lister says it has a “more aggressive exhaust sound.” WeÂ’re not sure what that is going to consist of, but it could be cooler than the spaceship electric noises the I-Pace makes as of now. A fully-adjustable suspension should also aid handling — Lister says itÂ’s even lower than the regular I-Pace. All of this goodness will cost you, as the Lister is going to be priced at GBP125,000. ThatÂ’s $161,025 converted to American dollars. Yowza.  Green Jaguar Crossover Hatchback Electric Luxury Performance