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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.

Is this a Jaguar or Land Rover of the future? Yes, the near future

Jaguar Land Rover has unveiled a concept vehicle, Project Vector, that the company heralds as preview of future urban transport. The Project Vector is an EV, naturally, and is built on a skateboard chassis with all mechanicals under the floor. That provides for maximum space efficiency in the city-sized vehicle—JLR says it's roughly four meters long, which would make it about half a foot longer than today's Mini Cooper hardtop. It also allows for reconfigurability. The interior is accessed via dual center-opening sliding doors on one side. Four individual seats appear to be mounted on tracks and are shown facing in the same direction, but JLR also says the vehicle can be adapted for delivery use (presumably with most of the seats removed). Project Vector is described as "autonomous-ready," but for now it has a steering wheel and pedals. It's also claimed to be optimized for ride-sharing or private use. The vehicle was developed at the UK's National Automotive Innovation Centre, with the intention to make it a part of the "urban mobility solutions" in the "ecosystem of a smart city," according to JLR. The first such smart city will be Coventry, where an "urban mobility service" will be launched in 2021. Related Video:     Featured Gallery Jaguar Land Rover Project Vector Design/Style Green Jaguar Land Rover Transportation Alternatives Future Vehicles

Jaguar C-X17 resurfaces in China with gold finish, five-seat cabin [w/video]

Some concept cars make the rounds of the auto shows and are then retired. But a number of automakers are showing that a fresh coat of paint can go a long way towards rejuvenating a show car and giving it a new lease on life - at least as far as the auto show circuit is concerned. Lexus did that recently with the LF-LC concept, initially unveiling it in red at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, then repainting it a dark shade of blue for the subsequent shows in Australia and LA. Mini did the same with the Rocketman concept. And now Jaguar has done it again with its C-X17.
Initially unveiled in electric blue at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Jaguar then rolled the crossover out again in liquid silver for the Dubai Motor Show earlier this month. Now the concept is back again at the Guangzhou Motor Show in China with a fresh coat of rose gold.
Looking decidedly more luxurious than the previous iterations, this gilded C-X17 concept also bears another change: while the previous versions featured a four-seat cabin, this one has been redone with a more conventional five-seat configuration that more buyers would likely go for. It's also got a new interactive infotainment system and another system that warns passengers of pedestrians or cyclists approaching from the rear before they open the door. Check it out in the high-res image gallery above and the video clip below for a closer look.