Laurens van der Acker steps down as Mazda design chief, Ikuo Maeda steps up
Following hot on the heels of reports that Volkswagen designer Derek Jenkins had defected to Mazda to head up its North American design office comes news that the Japanese automaker has replaced its global design chief, Laurens van der Acker, with Ikuo Maeda.Van der Acker joins Volvo's Steve Mattin in leaving the design division of Ford's foreign operations, but Mazda's styling department should be left in capable hands with Maeda-san at the wheel. Maeda's been with the Zoom-Zoom company since April 1982, and has held a number of influential design positions within the Mazda hierarchy, having headed up its Design Strategic Studio and Yokohama design studio in the Eighties before moving to Detroit to work for parent company Ford. Maeda would then return to Mazda in 2000, where he spearheaded the design of the RX-8 and new Mazda2. In his new position atop the Mazda design totem-poll, Maeda will be working out of the company's headquarters in Hiroshima, Japan.
[Source: Mazda]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
BoxerFanatic 11:13AM (4/01/2009)
Sounds like lots of designers are playing musical chairs around and out of the industry...
I guess we'll see what happens to the appearance of future design languages from various companies.
Here's hoping it improves.
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MGBYG 11:38AM (4/01/2009)
More like Design Managers and Studio Chiefs are moving around.
The real designers are stuck where they are at.
If these few "stars" actually are that influential in creating a design language for a company, ala Van der Acker, you would think they would have non-compete clauses that would keep them from jumping around like nearly everyone else in upper management.
In most cases, the folks you've never heard of do all the work. Studio Chiefs like Bangle and Pardo are too busy in meetings with corporate to actually spend any creative time in the studio.
futurama 2:10PM (4/01/2009)
@MGBYG
futurama 2:16PM (4/01/2009)
@MGBYG
i agree. the design chiefs are playing musical charis... i wonder if steve martin will become the head of . . . . . .
Mazda FTW! 11:13AM (4/01/2009)
So Laurens, the guy who penned the new Mazda3 is out and the guy who penned the RX-8 and Mazda2 is in.
Sounds good to me :D
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the_MVP_X 11:20AM (4/01/2009)
Who's this Ikuo Maeda, never heard of him.
Taglane 11:24AM (4/01/2009)
RTFA
A.N.E. 1:51PM (4/01/2009)
Ikuo Maeda's father helped design the original RX-7 (FC).
Taglane 11:17AM (4/01/2009)
Kill the smiley's! They are good looking cars except for that.
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G.G. 11:27AM (4/01/2009)
All I can say is that this Ikuo Maeda guy looks MEAN!!! It looks like Mazda means business. He's got this "Buy our cars or else" look on his face...
I guess no more smileys for Mazda.
Now the question is who is going to be next in this roulette of design leaders?
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Will 11:33AM (4/01/2009)
One can only hope he's yakuza. That would rule.
fixitfixitstop 12:49PM (4/01/2009)
It's that snazzy jacket. It's like some twisted hybrid of a Member's Only jacket and a black single-breasted blazer.
G.G. 11:47AM (4/01/2009)
Aren't the bōryokudan running the car companies in Japan anyway?
Everybody know this.
Finally their identity is being unveiled.
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Imag 11:48AM (4/01/2009)
My guess is that, after all the Bangle comments, the automotive PR people are figuring out that people actually care about designers. If we all started paying attention to lead engineers a bit more, they might start issuing press releases about them too.
Now if this guy can just get the new RX-7 and Miata to look as good as his jacket, we'll be set.
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Biz 11:51AM (4/01/2009)
I think it's a bit too now that almost the whole lineup has the clown car look. Sigh.
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Biz 11:56AM (4/01/2009)
Err...a bit too late. A bit too late, I meant.
Sigh. Long morning.
Ligor 12:12PM (4/01/2009)
I was going to say the same thing
hopefully this new guy tones it down a bit
Tagg 12:11PM (4/01/2009)
So which is the guy with the rippled look?
One of them wanted to have the "Nagare" or wind theme in the cars and wanted it on the Mazda 3 but it was too far along. It may have been the Mazdaspeed 3 but none the less one of them was to have all those little ripples in it.
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Patrick 12:51PM (4/01/2009)
Mazda should get back whoever did the last gen RX-7 styling to wipe that smiley happy grin off Mazda's face.
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Farmboy 1:52PM (4/01/2009)
Is it just me, or does he look like Tony Stark? This could be a good thing. lol
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