1 00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:06,800 Speaker 1: Vas Is Masters in Business with Barry Ridholts on Bloomberg Radio. 2 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:10,320 Speaker 1: This week on the podcast, I have an extra special guest, 3 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: Paul Raith, chief designer at Ford and the man in 4 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:19,800 Speaker 1: charge of the new Ford Bronco, an icon in the 5 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:24,120 Speaker 1: history of automobiles and a legendary car. This was quite 6 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 1: a responsibility to come out with something that was so 7 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:32,000 Speaker 1: heavily anticipated and so long awaited. And if you haven't 8 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: seen the new Ford Bronco, I suggest you go online 9 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:38,120 Speaker 1: and check it out. They very much hit a bull's eye. 10 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:41,920 Speaker 1: The car looks great. It's capabilities as an off road 11 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:46,840 Speaker 1: sports utility vehicle are just astonishing. They've managed to bring 12 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:50,239 Speaker 1: in the base version under thirty thousand dollars. I don't 13 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: want to sound like I'm doing a commercial for Ford, 14 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: and I'm a car guy, not a truck guy, but 15 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: I have to tell you I'm really impressed with the 16 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 1: way the truck came out. No impressed that I managed 17 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: to track Paul down at Ford and say, hey, come 18 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: on the show and let's talk about the process of 19 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 1: creating a brand new vehicle like this. I found our 20 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: conversation absolutely fascinating and I think you will also so 21 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 1: with no further Ado. My conversation with the chief designer 22 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: at Ford, Paul Raith, via is Masters in Business with 23 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:28,959 Speaker 1: Barry Ridholts on Bloomberg Radio. My special guest this week 24 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 1: is Paul Raith. He is the chief designer for the 25 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:37,040 Speaker 1: brand new Ford Bronco. Previously, he was chief designer for Ford. 26 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:40,840 Speaker 1: He earned his master's degree in vehicle design from the 27 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 1: Royal College of Art. Paul Raith, Welcome to Bloomberg. Thanks 28 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 1: for having me. So let's start with the Bronco briefly, 29 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 1: congratulations or in order. As soon as you guys announced 30 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 1: reservations for the first edition, the truck sold out overnight. 31 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 1: We're going to spend more time talking about the Bronco. 32 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,480 Speaker 1: But let's talk a little bit about your career. What 33 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:09,880 Speaker 1: sort of path does one have to go on to 34 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:14,280 Speaker 1: become a card designer. I think myself and all of 35 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: my friends who are car designers and colleagues, I think 36 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 1: we all have this little infatuation with the car or 37 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: the truck from to the year dot, you know. I 38 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 1: think typically our first words were probably car um and 39 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 1: then we would have been the little kids in the 40 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:34,680 Speaker 1: back of the classroom somewhere scribbling pictures of cars into 41 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:38,080 Speaker 1: into our textbooks when we were at school. UM And 42 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:41,560 Speaker 1: it's sort of stuck with us. Really, it's a it's 43 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,680 Speaker 1: a sort of compulsion, and unfortunately some of us are 44 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:48,799 Speaker 1: able to get places in design school to develop our 45 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 1: skills through degrees and master's degrees. Um. And then some 46 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 1: of us, on top of that are then lucky enough 47 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 1: to get positions in the industry and do what we 48 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: were doing as children as a as a day job, 49 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: which is well, it's amazing, really great fun. So you've 50 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:09,079 Speaker 1: been with Forward for about twenty years. In you were 51 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,920 Speaker 1: appointed chief designer for Ford. Tell us what that role 52 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:17,799 Speaker 1: en campuses in chief design I means essentially, I've got 53 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 1: more toys to play with. Um. I have a lot 54 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 1: of team around me of a very very talented people. Um. 55 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: And it's a it's a better positions one to news 56 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: your your point of view and your experience to apply 57 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 1: to across a much more broad body of work. UM. 58 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:41,360 Speaker 1: And it's you know, it's an exciting challenge and it's 59 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: a huge responsibility as well. UM And I you know, 60 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 1: you bring with you your your prior experience, you bring 61 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:52,960 Speaker 1: with you your sort of formative ideas and wide eyes 62 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: because you're always taking stuff in and you know your 63 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 1: ears tuned in too to listen to everything that you're 64 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: being told. And then somehow or other, you know you 65 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:04,960 Speaker 1: you're blessed by having a fantastic group of people to 66 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 1: work with U. And then we do our best. We 67 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: work like we work really hard, and we push like hell, 68 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:15,440 Speaker 1: and we we produce what we hope will be compelling 69 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: future vehicles. Quite interesting. I have to imagine you are 70 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: thinking about different regions of the world differently. How do 71 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 1: consumer preferences vary from either North America to Europe or 72 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:33,920 Speaker 1: for either of those western countries to a place like China. 73 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 1: How does that fit into the entire design process. It's 74 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:41,600 Speaker 1: a fundamental building block. I mean, vehicles are are owned 75 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:47,720 Speaker 1: and used by people, and everyone's different, and people's can 76 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:51,280 Speaker 1: be culturally different by region, and also the circumstances the 77 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 1: situation that they're in can be very different as well. 78 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: In the US, we've got a road system that speaks 79 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:00,359 Speaker 1: really being framed around the vehicle. Go to Europe and 80 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 1: it's it's been framed around box. You know, in sort 81 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 1: of medieval area, people moving livestock around the sort of 82 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 1: wild landscape so um, you know, the road is smaller 83 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 1: and much more complicated. The city centers are a very 84 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:19,320 Speaker 1: intense it's a very different situations they're here. So once 85 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:21,600 Speaker 1: you know and the people are living those environments as well, 86 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:24,719 Speaker 1: they have different needs and aspirations. Their circumstances are very 87 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 1: different as well, so they may not have a garage 88 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:31,479 Speaker 1: stark and vehicle in at all. So you need to 89 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:33,839 Speaker 1: get into the into the skin of the people that 90 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 1: you're designing for and as much as you possibly can 91 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 1: sort of see the world through their eyes. And I 92 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:42,839 Speaker 1: think once you start to do that, the output in 93 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: your work naturally sort of changes. Um. And it's a 94 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:50,719 Speaker 1: really you know, learning is terrific fund um, and experimenting 95 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 1: is great fun. And putting your ideas out there to 96 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: sort of test and stress testament is also interesting. You know. 97 00:05:57,760 --> 00:05:59,840 Speaker 1: It can be disappointed sometimes when you when you've got 98 00:05:59,839 --> 00:06:02,760 Speaker 1: to but it can also be really energizing when when 99 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:05,760 Speaker 1: you when you seek you're onto something which is new. Um. 100 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:08,480 Speaker 1: And from those kind of insights, we we we hope 101 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:13,000 Speaker 1: to design more relevant products that move the topic the 102 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:18,359 Speaker 1: subject of cars forwards. So that's consumer desires. What about 103 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 1: the enthusiast crowd. Do you pay much intention to social media, 104 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:28,159 Speaker 1: the press and then the hardcore enthusiasts community, how do 105 00:06:28,279 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 1: they impact the design and marketing of cars? I would 106 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:34,440 Speaker 1: say first of all that I was sold a long 107 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 1: time ago that designers are like information filters. We just 108 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:43,719 Speaker 1: we just draw in this wild pile information. We sort 109 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 1: of push it through our brains and somehow it falls 110 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:48,159 Speaker 1: out of that of our hands and our pens with 111 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:51,560 Speaker 1: in a form of cars that we're like, we're just 112 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 1: filtering all this information all the time. Part of that, 113 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:56,640 Speaker 1: of course, is what we see in the press. So 114 00:06:56,640 --> 00:07:00,800 Speaker 1: what we read social media players a really big part 115 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:05,080 Speaker 1: on it. UM. And then you wanted to get the 116 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:08,479 Speaker 1: the unsort of setter words of the of the user. 117 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:11,160 Speaker 1: And so it's great when you've got an enthusiast space 118 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:13,920 Speaker 1: to tap into. And we were really lucky with Bonco 119 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:16,000 Speaker 1: that we had that. So we spent a lot of 120 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:20,640 Speaker 1: time you know, reading, watching, listening, spending time with going 121 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:24,600 Speaker 1: to places, you know, using the internet. UM, and that 122 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 1: was that was a sort of that wasn't a thing 123 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:30,440 Speaker 1: that we did now and again that was something that 124 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:35,000 Speaker 1: was happening constantly. UM. We were sharing as a team 125 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:40,640 Speaker 1: on the Bonco program insights and observations and images and 126 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:44,080 Speaker 1: quotes from from social media from the time that we 127 00:07:44,080 --> 00:07:45,680 Speaker 1: got up in the morning until the time we were 128 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:49,160 Speaker 1: going to go to bed amongst the team, whether the 129 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 1: word we were sharing via text or email or or Instagram. 130 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:56,240 Speaker 1: It's kind of a popular means of communication for us 131 00:07:56,280 --> 00:08:02,200 Speaker 1: as well, So it's really important. Um and so nobody 132 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:06,800 Speaker 1: knows products better than the enthusiast, so you know, it's 133 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,480 Speaker 1: good to learn from from them and then trying to 134 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:13,560 Speaker 1: apply it into our into our future visions as well. 135 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 1: We can't be constrained by it, of course, we can't 136 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:19,120 Speaker 1: just do what they know that they want. We need 137 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:21,920 Speaker 1: to also trying to stretch the topic further out so 138 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: that we're always making progress. Quite fascinating. So I'm an enthusiast, 139 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:31,280 Speaker 1: I have a Gebrubican, and I'm kind of a fan 140 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:34,839 Speaker 1: of some of the older Toyota f js and Ford 141 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:40,040 Speaker 1: Broncos and land Rover Defender nineties and all of these 142 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:44,280 Speaker 1: have just gone crazy in the collector market. So the 143 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:48,200 Speaker 1: question I have for you, what took so long to 144 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,600 Speaker 1: bring out a new Bronco, Well, that's a very good question. 145 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:53,600 Speaker 1: I think you're right I think we've seen a shift 146 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:59,199 Speaker 1: in the in the in the classic car market is 147 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:01,120 Speaker 1: playing a lot of it each in to the vehicles 148 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:04,640 Speaker 1: that you've just listed. I think we are seeing a 149 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:08,600 Speaker 1: shift in there in the sort of public's ambitions for 150 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:12,160 Speaker 1: the sort of off road vehicles that they want um 151 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:14,040 Speaker 1: and I think there's there's going to be a lot 152 00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:17,679 Speaker 1: of growth in the rugged SUV space, and the Bronco 153 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:19,640 Speaker 1: is really well primed for that. So I think it's 154 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:21,600 Speaker 1: a little bit of serendipity, if you like, in a 155 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:24,719 Speaker 1: way that the stars are aligned in just the right 156 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:27,960 Speaker 1: way to open the door for Bronco. But the Bronco 157 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 1: has never gone away in the minds of the four team. 158 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:36,520 Speaker 1: I'm sure there are people have been working on opportunities 159 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:38,800 Speaker 1: to try and get it back for for a long time. 160 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:41,640 Speaker 1: But the circumstances have to be right. And it isn't 161 00:09:41,679 --> 00:09:45,719 Speaker 1: just a question of someone like me doodling pictures of 162 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 1: of a cool looking Bronco and hoping that that that 163 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:49,720 Speaker 1: would be enough to sort of kick the program off 164 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:52,360 Speaker 1: before I get to pick my pencil up. There isn't. 165 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:55,120 Speaker 1: There's an awful lot of work with some super sharp 166 00:09:55,320 --> 00:10:02,520 Speaker 1: people who take on the colossal undertaking of trying to 167 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:05,520 Speaker 1: take all of the parts that they know might exist 168 00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:08,320 Speaker 1: that would help form the vehicle that the engine, the 169 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:11,760 Speaker 1: platform or the wheels, electronics, the safety systems and so on. 170 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:17,000 Speaker 1: Overlay that against the legislative list of framework that will 171 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:20,440 Speaker 1: drop the vehicle into the amount of investment required to 172 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:23,160 Speaker 1: to set a vehicle up, the amount of resources that 173 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:26,280 Speaker 1: we have available, human and financial. You know, is there 174 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:28,240 Speaker 1: a factory in the right place at the right time, 175 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:31,920 Speaker 1: with the right capacity. There is a sort of miasma 176 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:34,320 Speaker 1: of variables, and if you can get all those sort 177 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:37,320 Speaker 1: of all those things to align and then you see 178 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:40,520 Speaker 1: an opportunity for for a segment of the market that's 179 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:44,280 Speaker 1: not really saturated, that has a lot of growth potential, 180 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:47,800 Speaker 1: then then then it works. And then I guess we're 181 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:50,600 Speaker 1: just really happy that, you know, the stars aligns in 182 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 1: the right way this time such that the the overall 183 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:56,800 Speaker 1: product development team afford are able to get their teeth 184 00:10:56,800 --> 00:10:59,680 Speaker 1: into this thing and do a really good job. There's 185 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:01,840 Speaker 1: a lot of passion behind the scenes to try and 186 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:03,640 Speaker 1: make it work, and you know, and I think it's 187 00:11:03,679 --> 00:11:05,280 Speaker 1: well known that there've been a couple of runs at 188 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:08,240 Speaker 1: it in the past but in the past maybe the 189 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:12,439 Speaker 1: situation wasn't quite right. Thankfully, and here we are it 190 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:15,600 Speaker 1: clearly was right this time. It was pretty obvious to 191 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:19,240 Speaker 1: me that your bogey was the jeep Wrangler. They've kind 192 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 1: of had that market all to themselves for a long time. 193 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:26,640 Speaker 1: How close do you guys think you came to hitting 194 00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:32,079 Speaker 1: the mark of what's going to be your most direct competition, 195 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:35,760 Speaker 1: the jeep Wrangler. I think whenever you launched the vehicle, 196 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:38,320 Speaker 1: there's almost certainly going to be something out there. It 197 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:41,000 Speaker 1: was a bit like it. Um. It's sometimes it can 198 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:43,679 Speaker 1: be a bit of a difficulty when when there's your 199 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:48,480 Speaker 1: segment composes of basically one vehicle, because that can become 200 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:51,640 Speaker 1: too much of an influence. So what I think it 201 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:54,600 Speaker 1: did for us is it redoubled our focus on just 202 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:57,600 Speaker 1: doing what was right for for us, for the Bronco 203 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:02,000 Speaker 1: as a brand, for its legacy, and for the users 204 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:06,840 Speaker 1: as well. Of course, we look at competitive vehicles for 205 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:08,880 Speaker 1: good and but you know, we want to poke holes 206 00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:10,360 Speaker 1: and then we want to see what they're doing wrong 207 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:12,199 Speaker 1: to see if we can do it better. We want 208 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:15,439 Speaker 1: to look at what they're doing right and learn from 209 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:18,800 Speaker 1: that as well. But we didn't just six about one 210 00:12:18,840 --> 00:12:22,400 Speaker 1: other vehicle we looked very badly. Fact as well in 211 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:26,920 Speaker 1: our on our benchmarking was as as why wide as 212 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:31,360 Speaker 1: side by side UTVs? You know there are road registered 213 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:34,880 Speaker 1: all the way over to the marine industry products and steamboats. 214 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:38,880 Speaker 1: So yeah, we didn't. I don't think we really spent 215 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:42,280 Speaker 1: a lot of time really thinking that one vehicle, how 216 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:45,120 Speaker 1: can we be like it? We use it as a 217 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:47,720 Speaker 1: as a measure that really our focuses about what we 218 00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:51,080 Speaker 1: thought we needed to do. Quite interesting. I really love 219 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:55,400 Speaker 1: the thirty five in tires and the nearly foot high 220 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:59,959 Speaker 1: ground clearance. What are some of your favorite design elements 221 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,199 Speaker 1: from the new Bronco. You know, that's a really difficult 222 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:06,280 Speaker 1: question because you're so invested in all of it. I mean, 223 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:08,200 Speaker 1: some of these favorite elements would be the ones that 224 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:10,680 Speaker 1: you felt you have to hide, you know, push for 225 00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:15,360 Speaker 1: in the greatest sort of vigor. Other things are just 226 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:17,480 Speaker 1: ideas that I think just seem to make a lot 227 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:21,439 Speaker 1: of sense and are a bit unusual. Um. I really 228 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:25,800 Speaker 1: love I really love the Bronco bolt. Actually, I love 229 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:27,840 Speaker 1: the fact that we have a bolt with Bronco smashed 230 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:31,520 Speaker 1: into its head. Um. Wherever you see one of those 231 00:13:31,559 --> 00:13:33,360 Speaker 1: on the vehicle. It's an invitation for you to get 232 00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:36,920 Speaker 1: the tool whut and get involved with the vehicle and 233 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:39,719 Speaker 1: undo those bolts and take that part off and either 234 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:42,439 Speaker 1: put another one in its place, or it's an opportunity 235 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:44,200 Speaker 1: for the answer market to come in and do something 236 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:47,240 Speaker 1: kind of exciting and creative and interesting. I think that's 237 00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:51,440 Speaker 1: a really interesting part because generally, you know, in the 238 00:13:51,480 --> 00:13:55,720 Speaker 1: contemporary automobile industry, we tend to want to not have 239 00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:59,719 Speaker 1: exposed bolts all over our vehicles. We like this sort 240 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:02,320 Speaker 1: of I should finish everything's very discreet and very crafted. 241 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:05,600 Speaker 1: We sort of took completely the opposite attack at the 242 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 1: same time is we were coming up with that initial idea, 243 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 1: we discovered that actually the the that Forward produced willis 244 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:17,000 Speaker 1: cheeks during the Second World War. But what stand keeps 245 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:20,240 Speaker 1: the forward produced vehicles different to the others is that 246 00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:23,280 Speaker 1: each should have bolts on the Forward produced cheap have 247 00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:25,240 Speaker 1: an f bashed into their head. So we thought there 248 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:27,240 Speaker 1: was kind of a nice nod in the wink back 249 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:30,840 Speaker 1: to the history. I love that part. I think I 250 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:35,120 Speaker 1: also really love the the trial sites on the on 251 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:38,800 Speaker 1: the leading edge of the front fenders. The original Bronco 252 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:41,360 Speaker 1: had Peo called peaked fenders. It was a real nice 253 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:44,000 Speaker 1: piece of styling, but it was it was also very 254 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 1: practical because when you sit behind the wheel of an 255 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:49,000 Speaker 1: early Bronco, you sort of see these peaks and it 256 00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:50,880 Speaker 1: tells you exactly where the corner of the vehicle in 257 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:53,080 Speaker 1: the front corner of the vehicles, so it helps you 258 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:56,160 Speaker 1: position the vehicle very well. It's it's just a it's 259 00:14:56,160 --> 00:15:01,440 Speaker 1: a nice, attractive, iconic piece of very small product designs. 260 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:04,480 Speaker 1: So we decided we would follow the same path. So 261 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:06,480 Speaker 1: we have peaks and offenders, but on top of that 262 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:09,720 Speaker 1: or you know, piercing offenders. In fact, we have these 263 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:13,160 Speaker 1: things called trail side, so they're like separate parts which 264 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:16,520 Speaker 1: you can bolt things to strap things through and also 265 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:19,360 Speaker 1: use as a visual guide to the corners. I really 266 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:21,600 Speaker 1: like those because they actually solve some I think, some 267 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:25,000 Speaker 1: problems that we're all and count them down again when 268 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:27,280 Speaker 1: we're trying to tie things off to the front of 269 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:30,240 Speaker 1: our vehicle with ropes running over the hood and the headlights. 270 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:34,960 Speaker 1: And they offer up an opportunity for the aftermarket and 271 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:40,600 Speaker 1: the public to get involved funagling original solutions to fit 272 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:43,240 Speaker 1: their very specific need. You know, we don't know what 273 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:45,360 Speaker 1: they are, all those needs and will be and we 274 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:47,080 Speaker 1: don't know what the solutions will be, but we've set 275 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:50,800 Speaker 1: the vehicle up in in that area to provide a 276 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 1: good platform for them to to to do what they 277 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,240 Speaker 1: need to do to make the vehicle their vehicle. Just 278 00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:58,440 Speaker 1: make sure no one tries to pull the truck out 279 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:00,320 Speaker 1: of the mud with those they have like a hundred 280 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:05,000 Speaker 1: and fifty pound capacity. That is not where the winch goes. 281 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:09,080 Speaker 1: And I hope nobody makes that mistake. So what sort 282 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 1: of additions did you consider? But ultimately decide that's just 283 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:18,520 Speaker 1: way too impractical, and you have a lot of really 284 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:22,640 Speaker 1: interesting things that I imagine we're hard to get past 285 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:26,720 Speaker 1: upper management. What was just a bridge too far? Well, 286 00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:30,200 Speaker 1: the cutting room floor is very deep of broken dreams 287 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:34,120 Speaker 1: in the car industry. That is the case always, but 288 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:37,360 Speaker 1: maybe in this case where we have to lose a 289 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:41,440 Speaker 1: fewer ideas because the vehicle that we've we're producing the 290 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:46,440 Speaker 1: Bronco we're talking about less than more than the Bronco Sport, 291 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:49,400 Speaker 1: but the it has a degree of modularity, so you 292 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:51,360 Speaker 1: can do things with a vehicle which you couldn't do 293 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:55,120 Speaker 1: with an escape or an explorer. For examples even get 294 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:56,520 Speaker 1: the doors off and get the roof off. You can 295 00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:58,920 Speaker 1: put different rooms on. You better put different doors on. 296 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:03,320 Speaker 1: You can get the fender flares off, you can there's 297 00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: multiple bumpers, multiple grills and to the vehicle has got 298 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:09,160 Speaker 1: this high level of modularity. So that unfortunately that means 299 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:10,840 Speaker 1: that we kept the door open to doing lots of 300 00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:13,960 Speaker 1: cool things. Is there a specific thing that we didn't manage? 301 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:16,439 Speaker 1: And you know what, I think credit to the system, 302 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:21,840 Speaker 1: that to the Forward Motor Company that we managed to 303 00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:25,400 Speaker 1: to keep the door open to the cool ideas. I mean, 304 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:28,919 Speaker 1: I'm a designer. I've you know, I won't I wouldn't 305 00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:31,040 Speaker 1: be happy till I wouldn't want to retire from this 306 00:17:31,119 --> 00:17:33,240 Speaker 1: industry and sort have made something of flies or there's 307 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:36,040 Speaker 1: been three D printed in one go from graphite. So 308 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:39,240 Speaker 1: our imagination is always it is always going to be 309 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:42,000 Speaker 1: out there. Um. But I think in a sort of 310 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:46,399 Speaker 1: practical sense, I think we we we managed to come 311 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:48,359 Speaker 1: to it's just about everything, which was a lot of 312 00:17:48,359 --> 00:17:51,680 Speaker 1: pressure on the on the team as a whole. We 313 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:56,560 Speaker 1: set ourselves, you know, more homework than normal, um, and 314 00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:58,880 Speaker 1: we did everything in the same time as normal, which 315 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:01,920 Speaker 1: you know, for aard Is Tood's got amazing product of 316 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:06,880 Speaker 1: land process, very fast, very robust. But we just chose 317 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:11,680 Speaker 1: to do significantly more in the time available than normal. Yes, 318 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:14,960 Speaker 1: so please, I would imagine the base version comes in 319 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:19,320 Speaker 1: under thirty thours. That's a great bogey And all told 320 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:22,960 Speaker 1: there are seven models. I was kind of surprised, Big Bend, 321 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:27,440 Speaker 1: Black Diamonds, Outer Banks, bad Lands, Wild Track and the 322 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:30,160 Speaker 1: first edition, which the initial run has already sold out. 323 00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:35,840 Speaker 1: Why so many variations? Normally these things get fed out 324 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:38,480 Speaker 1: in year two and year three. Why come out of 325 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:42,640 Speaker 1: the gate with so many different choices. I think there's 326 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:44,959 Speaker 1: a few things there so well. First of all, we're 327 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:50,119 Speaker 1: not using the typical series non licature. There's no TITANEUM 328 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:54,280 Speaker 1: or XLT or any of those things. Um, so broncageserve 329 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:59,439 Speaker 1: its own series walk. We chose to use locations instead 330 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:04,199 Speaker 1: of abbreviation, which I think is really fun. Um that 331 00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:07,560 Speaker 1: becomes a creative opportunity in its own right, because our 332 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:10,480 Speaker 1: graphics team did an amazing job actually on the the 333 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:15,480 Speaker 1: series badges. They're all different. Um, they're all placed on 334 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:17,240 Speaker 1: the side of the vehicle, not the rear, And the 335 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:19,840 Speaker 1: cool thing with them is actually reflective as well. So 336 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:22,959 Speaker 1: when you're on the campsite, new flasher a light over 337 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:26,119 Speaker 1: the mild, they'll pop in the distance, which is really fun. 338 00:19:26,359 --> 00:19:30,800 Speaker 1: So lots of creating opportunity even even with those things. Um. 339 00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:34,440 Speaker 1: But to come back to the original points, I think 340 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:38,560 Speaker 1: it's important to try. And our users are so diverse 341 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:41,760 Speaker 1: um and in fact, when we started the program, we 342 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:44,720 Speaker 1: had we had five target customers in mind. That's that's 343 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:48,800 Speaker 1: just to buy a way of explanation, that's relatively unusual 344 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:52,200 Speaker 1: in my experience. In fact, it's completely unusual. You tend 345 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:56,120 Speaker 1: to have a target customer. The target customer for an 346 00:19:56,200 --> 00:20:00,840 Speaker 1: automobile design tends to be an amalgamation of available the sticks, 347 00:20:01,359 --> 00:20:05,320 Speaker 1: um and and behaviors sort of created into some sort 348 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:09,800 Speaker 1: of virtual humans um And it's a little bit it's 349 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:13,840 Speaker 1: a little bit superficial sometimes. But in this particular case, 350 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:17,240 Speaker 1: the five people that we were we were to trying 351 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:19,520 Speaker 1: to design for were very different and they were real, 352 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:23,120 Speaker 1: real people that we've really spend time with. So we've 353 00:20:23,119 --> 00:20:24,960 Speaker 1: got to know a little bit and got to observe 354 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:28,359 Speaker 1: doing their thing, which we learned a great deal from 355 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:32,800 Speaker 1: and they stand in both genders. From twenty one year 356 00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:36,959 Speaker 1: old to a fifty plus year old guy, someone who 357 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:39,399 Speaker 1: lived in the city, to someone who's just not happened, 358 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:42,359 Speaker 1: not happy and left there hanging their truck off the 359 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:44,919 Speaker 1: edge of the cliff somewhere. Um. And then when you 360 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:47,000 Speaker 1: get down to it, you go, these people are so different. 361 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:50,520 Speaker 1: You know what we need to do more to cater 362 00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:53,680 Speaker 1: for them. Hence the greater number of series um, and 363 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:56,840 Speaker 1: also the different ways that we're going to allow customers 364 00:20:56,840 --> 00:20:59,840 Speaker 1: to add packs to their vehicle to tune it, spec 365 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:02,959 Speaker 1: it lead to their needs. And so you say, interesting 366 00:21:03,119 --> 00:21:05,160 Speaker 1: five inch tiles and everything. You know, no matter where 367 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:07,560 Speaker 1: you buy a base or you buy a bad land, 368 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:09,920 Speaker 1: you know you can get what you need. Quite interesting. 369 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:15,560 Speaker 1: Let's talk a little bit about the design process. Let's 370 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:18,879 Speaker 1: use the Broncos as an example. How long have you 371 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:23,040 Speaker 1: been working on this new car? And is that typical 372 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:27,360 Speaker 1: for either a new vehicle or the reintroduction of an 373 00:21:27,359 --> 00:21:30,720 Speaker 1: older vehicle. Whether we're doing a new new vehicle or 374 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:34,159 Speaker 1: reintroducing an iconic nameplate. I think you take pretty much 375 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:36,920 Speaker 1: the same amount of time. It's always a very difficult 376 00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:40,920 Speaker 1: question to answer this one because you sort of think 377 00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:44,760 Speaker 1: that somebody would walk into the studio and say here, everybody, 378 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:48,119 Speaker 1: here's the brief, and then that's some indeterminate period in 379 00:21:48,119 --> 00:21:50,320 Speaker 1: the future. They'll go, thanks very much, this is great. 380 00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:52,480 Speaker 1: We'll just take this from here and how it goes. 381 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:54,400 Speaker 1: But we have a we have a build up too, 382 00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:57,879 Speaker 1: and then we have a soft run out. So the 383 00:21:57,920 --> 00:22:00,560 Speaker 1: amount of time it takes systems design it a vehicle 384 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:04,360 Speaker 1: is it's a little bit. It's a little bit difficult 385 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:06,480 Speaker 1: to tie down. But what I can tell you was 386 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:11,280 Speaker 1: I think it was the The North American also showed 387 00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:14,840 Speaker 1: it's twenty seven team sitting up in the in the 388 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:18,640 Speaker 1: Cobo Hall in Detroit looking down at are Then CEO 389 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:21,960 Speaker 1: announced the fact that the Bronco was coming back, and 390 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,800 Speaker 1: I think that's probably for me the point when I 391 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:26,879 Speaker 1: really although it was on my plate, that was a 392 00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:30,680 Speaker 1: bit where I really thought, actually know what, Yeah, this 393 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 1: is the game is on. As he announced it, and 394 00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:37,480 Speaker 1: they the screen behind him announced the Bronco coming back, 395 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:40,040 Speaker 1: and I noticed all the journalists heads around me all 396 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:41,600 Speaker 1: sort of went up. They all looked at each other 397 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,040 Speaker 1: and they all started scribbling curiously and writing text messages. 398 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 1: I thought, things me, there's there's an energy from this. 399 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:50,400 Speaker 1: This isn't normal. This is much bigger than I've sort 400 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:53,320 Speaker 1: of anticipated. But you know, we don't we don't run 401 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:55,240 Speaker 1: away and start making models. So the way, you know, 402 00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:58,200 Speaker 1: we need to go through a heavy period of learning 403 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:03,120 Speaker 1: and absorbing information before we then start to to start 404 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:05,040 Speaker 1: really start putting our pen to paper. And for us 405 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:08,240 Speaker 1: on this particular project, but putting the pence to paper 406 00:23:08,359 --> 00:23:11,160 Speaker 1: was was quite unusual, and we bent the rules all 407 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:14,080 Speaker 1: over the place to to get this vehicle through. Because 408 00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:17,520 Speaker 1: all those fourd has got a fantastic product development process, 409 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:20,439 Speaker 1: we needed to reshape it a little bit to to 410 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:23,600 Speaker 1: fit Bronco into it, and so we we didn't do 411 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:28,879 Speaker 1: glamour sketches might the automotive industry typically produces. My designers 412 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:30,600 Speaker 1: can all do it, It's just that we had a 413 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:34,639 Speaker 1: different focus. The design of the vehicle emerged from Chinese 414 00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:37,040 Speaker 1: doodles on post it notes and on scraps of paper 415 00:23:37,119 --> 00:23:40,159 Speaker 1: that was pinned to a wall, where we were trying 416 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:44,280 Speaker 1: to sort of imagine our way through a day in 417 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:47,560 Speaker 1: the life of our five customers. And then we were 418 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:50,720 Speaker 1: realizing that there were problems along the way in there 419 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:53,960 Speaker 1: this role plane, and then we were designing solutions for 420 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:56,000 Speaker 1: that and there's a designer puts a pen to the paper, 421 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:58,800 Speaker 1: they make something look like something. It was actually from 422 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:02,040 Speaker 1: those little drawings there that there's a glimmer of the 423 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:05,480 Speaker 1: design of the vehicle began to emerge. And then we 424 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:08,960 Speaker 1: went straight into virtual reality. We didn't make physical properties. Normally, 425 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:12,919 Speaker 1: the current stry makes scale clay models a little things 426 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:15,399 Speaker 1: are sort of a yard or so long. We skipped 427 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:18,800 Speaker 1: that process entirely, went entirely just virtual and then on 428 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:21,160 Speaker 1: our next stage was to make a full sized vehicle, 429 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:23,560 Speaker 1: but not one made from modeling clay, which is a 430 00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:28,560 Speaker 1: typical car industry medium. We made something out of packing 431 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:30,879 Speaker 1: material that we could all get in and out of 432 00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:33,440 Speaker 1: and stand on and play with an open closed doors 433 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:38,160 Speaker 1: and modifying hack and immediately start modifying. So we did 434 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:40,920 Speaker 1: the process somewhat differently, and it was kind of fun. 435 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:43,280 Speaker 1: I got into trouble a few times for not having 436 00:24:43,359 --> 00:24:46,600 Speaker 1: things the normal things ready at the normal times, but 437 00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:48,640 Speaker 1: I had another things which I thought were probably more 438 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:54,440 Speaker 1: useful to to learning and experimentation and furthering the development process. 439 00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:58,919 Speaker 1: I read somewhere that one of the vps at Ford 440 00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:02,399 Speaker 1: had one of the origin all Brancos and your team 441 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:06,000 Speaker 1: took it and did a laser scan and imported it 442 00:25:06,119 --> 00:25:11,040 Speaker 1: into VR so you could literally get all of the 443 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:14,640 Speaker 1: proportions and measurements as a frame of reference. Well, first 444 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:16,520 Speaker 1: of all, is that story true? And if it is true, 445 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:20,240 Speaker 1: how helpful was that process? That it's really true that 446 00:25:20,359 --> 00:25:23,720 Speaker 1: specific Broncho that we used to belong to and still 447 00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:26,879 Speaker 1: does belong to. My boss, the vice president, designed Maury Callum. 448 00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:31,440 Speaker 1: And what's terristic about his bronco? Is it actually pretty stock? 449 00:25:32,359 --> 00:25:34,800 Speaker 1: You know, there's almost no such thing as standard bronco 450 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:37,840 Speaker 1: any longer. They've all been modified as they passed through 451 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:39,960 Speaker 1: the hands of all the owners and three families, and 452 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:44,159 Speaker 1: they've changed their purpose, you know, and parts needed to 453 00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:48,320 Speaker 1: replace them. Marries is really original and it's quite beautiful. 454 00:25:48,359 --> 00:25:51,719 Speaker 1: So it stood as a good reference point to us. 455 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:54,840 Speaker 1: In fact, we did scan it. We have very sophisticated 456 00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:57,199 Speaker 1: equipment that is super accurate. It can pick up the 457 00:25:57,200 --> 00:26:00,840 Speaker 1: orange peel in the painted surface scans down to the 458 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:04,440 Speaker 1: factions of a millimeter thousands of a millimeter. So we 459 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:07,840 Speaker 1: did scan it, and we did import it into our 460 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:13,000 Speaker 1: particularly into our engineering CAD software, and it became a 461 00:26:13,119 --> 00:26:15,520 Speaker 1: layer of information and amongst all the other layers of 462 00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:18,000 Speaker 1: information that we were doing with at the time, So 463 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:21,240 Speaker 1: we took our best guests on the platform and power 464 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:24,040 Speaker 1: train and cooling packs. We have all the zones for 465 00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:27,440 Speaker 1: all of the light to allow to go, zones where 466 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:31,600 Speaker 1: we think we need to clear points for crash for example, 467 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:36,360 Speaker 1: cone visibility cones for radar, and there are a myriad 468 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:38,879 Speaker 1: of other things that we need to accommodate. If you 469 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:42,400 Speaker 1: imagine a sort of CAD engineering software with all these 470 00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:47,040 Speaker 1: multitude of inputs and hovering somewhere in the middle of it, 471 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:50,760 Speaker 1: all of this ninety six to Bronco, it was pretty 472 00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:53,400 Speaker 1: unusual actually to see it. I had to say that, 473 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:56,080 Speaker 1: you know, it didn't just sit there preserves. It quickly 474 00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:59,280 Speaker 1: became chopped up and moved around, and elements of it 475 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:02,800 Speaker 1: got lifted, reproportioned. As we use it as a baseline 476 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:04,760 Speaker 1: that the objective at that point was not to try 477 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:07,360 Speaker 1: and make the new Bronco like the old Bonco at all, 478 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:11,719 Speaker 1: but it stood as an excellent bookend and amongst all 479 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:14,520 Speaker 1: the other sort of modern day issues that we're having 480 00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:16,720 Speaker 1: to sort of deal with, and and it served a 481 00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:21,800 Speaker 1: great purpose. Upon reflection, it was fascinating to bring, bring 482 00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:25,840 Speaker 1: that vehicle back home, put it back in product development 483 00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:29,600 Speaker 1: center in Dearborn, and then interrogate it in that way 484 00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:31,920 Speaker 1: and then use it as a reference point for a 485 00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:34,760 Speaker 1: new vehicle. I don't suspect there's been another Bronco used 486 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:38,119 Speaker 1: remotely like that. Certainly that original Bronco would have never 487 00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:40,600 Speaker 1: have been designed with any catatol. It would be drawings 488 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:43,360 Speaker 1: and pens. So it was a fun process, I can 489 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:47,760 Speaker 1: I can imagine you keep discussing your team. I'm curious 490 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:51,280 Speaker 1: how many people are on a typical design team like 491 00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:55,399 Speaker 1: the Bronco and how are they divided up. Are there 492 00:27:55,440 --> 00:28:01,000 Speaker 1: interior exterior, power trained people, electronics people or does everybody 493 00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:04,840 Speaker 1: wear multitude of hats. So from my point of view, 494 00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:07,959 Speaker 1: I'm responsible for the appearance and the sort of product 495 00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:11,760 Speaker 1: design of the vehicle interior and exterior as well. And 496 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:15,639 Speaker 1: so that team comprised of about well varied in numbers, 497 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:18,919 Speaker 1: but it was around about ten to fifteen people all told. 498 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:23,080 Speaker 1: Then we have to work very closely with our engineering 499 00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:27,399 Speaker 1: colleagues who are concerned with electrical and interior and exterior 500 00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:31,639 Speaker 1: and sheet metal experts and lighting experts, and you know, 501 00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:34,280 Speaker 1: there's every area of the vehicle you can imagine as 502 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:38,000 Speaker 1: ares an expert engineering team to work with. So we 503 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:39,480 Speaker 1: tend to be in the middle of quite a lot 504 00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:41,080 Speaker 1: of it because we're sort of trying to do the 505 00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:44,320 Speaker 1: overall image of the vehicle together. But fortunately, you know, 506 00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:46,680 Speaker 1: we've got an extremely talented group of people. We had 507 00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:49,200 Speaker 1: a few more on this project, perhaps than some other programs, 508 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:51,800 Speaker 1: but mainly because of the complexity of it required more 509 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:54,640 Speaker 1: eyes and more hands on it. Yes, supertality group of 510 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:57,400 Speaker 1: people who actually some of who drive their own Broncos 511 00:28:57,480 --> 00:28:59,440 Speaker 1: every day to work or in a pro current in 512 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:01,960 Speaker 1: the process of restoring them. So I will enthusi ast 513 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:06,560 Speaker 1: crowd as well. Quite fascinating. Let's talk a little bit 514 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:11,840 Speaker 1: about the future of of cars and designs and technology. 515 00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:14,600 Speaker 1: One of the things I was kind of fascinated by 516 00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:20,160 Speaker 1: was the mac E platform chassis, something that the Mustang 517 00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:24,280 Speaker 1: Marquee truck is going to be based on. How versatile 518 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:26,800 Speaker 1: is something like that? Are we going to see other 519 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:32,520 Speaker 1: vehicles coming out using that platform? And in general, do 520 00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:36,920 Speaker 1: most carmakers like to come out with a versatile platform 521 00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:40,440 Speaker 1: that you could put a variety of different vehicles on. Well, 522 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:43,239 Speaker 1: I can't comment on future product actions of course, I'm 523 00:29:43,280 --> 00:29:46,320 Speaker 1: sure you'll appreciate this industry is highly secretive, but it 524 00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:49,840 Speaker 1: is to accept that we need to fit some of 525 00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:53,200 Speaker 1: the technologies we're using. Our vehicles are so critical and 526 00:29:53,240 --> 00:29:56,680 Speaker 1: so expensive to the develop that reuse is really important. 527 00:29:56,720 --> 00:30:00,920 Speaker 1: And so this funny word terms at platform, you're the 528 00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:04,320 Speaker 1: manufactured sort about platform strategies or which platform is this 529 00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:06,720 Speaker 1: new vehicle based upon so I degree with the US 530 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:09,640 Speaker 1: is typical in the industry, but the platform can refer 531 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:13,200 Speaker 1: to this sort of otherwise usually hidden underbody of the vehicle. 532 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:16,960 Speaker 1: It can refer to the electrical infrastructure, the safety systems, 533 00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:19,920 Speaker 1: and also power train as well. So to that point, 534 00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:23,320 Speaker 1: you know the Doronco that produced, you know, we're launching 535 00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:26,720 Speaker 1: really three Broncos, the Bronco two Doors, the Bronco Forward 536 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:29,600 Speaker 1: Or and the Bronco Sport. The two and the Foward 537 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:32,880 Speaker 1: door of sharing a platform with one of our trucks, 538 00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:36,680 Speaker 1: the Ranger in fact, but how bit modified and developed 539 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:41,120 Speaker 1: and tuned to really suit the off road space that 540 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:44,480 Speaker 1: we're we're designing it for. And the Bronco Sport is 541 00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:47,760 Speaker 1: most closely related to something like the Escape, very different. Again, 542 00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:49,960 Speaker 1: it's had vast amounts of investment put into it to 543 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:55,400 Speaker 1: ensure that its capability off road is absolutely staggering, frankly, 544 00:30:55,760 --> 00:30:58,320 Speaker 1: but that's how you use the platform to enable you 545 00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:02,040 Speaker 1: to produce more vehicles affordably. Makes a lot of sense. 546 00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:07,960 Speaker 1: So some manufacturers come up with a very recognizable common 547 00:31:08,120 --> 00:31:13,560 Speaker 1: design or user interface across their entire product lines. Four 548 00:31:13,680 --> 00:31:17,160 Speaker 1: doesn't exactly do this, but when I look at the Bronco, 549 00:31:17,360 --> 00:31:20,240 Speaker 1: I can imagine elements of that finding its way into 550 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:25,960 Speaker 1: other vehicles. What is it about BMW, probably more than anybody, 551 00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:29,240 Speaker 1: has a certain design ethos that you see literally in 552 00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:32,120 Speaker 1: every single vehicle. Tell us a little bit about the 553 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:36,240 Speaker 1: decision making that goes into the idea of a line 554 00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:39,960 Speaker 1: up being similar or very very distinct from each other. 555 00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:42,680 Speaker 1: You're right, of course, that's the family look can be 556 00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:46,320 Speaker 1: smeared across the entire range of vehicles. And I think 557 00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:49,680 Speaker 1: for a number of years, decades, perhaps we've we've seen 558 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:52,600 Speaker 1: this has been a typical strategy. In fact, Board of 559 00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:55,840 Speaker 1: used it as well. But you know, as our automotive 560 00:31:56,760 --> 00:32:01,960 Speaker 1: space is stretched and we look at vehicles which aren't 561 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:04,440 Speaker 1: necessarily you know, haven't got necessarily four doors and a roof, 562 00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:08,120 Speaker 1: that have got another form factor to them. There's a 563 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:11,840 Speaker 1: point where some of these design languages can become quite challenged. 564 00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:14,480 Speaker 1: They don't quite make it. That becomes quite difficult to 565 00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:18,800 Speaker 1: apply that language of a low sleek sedan, for example, 566 00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:23,560 Speaker 1: to a semi truck, or to a flying machine, or 567 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:27,000 Speaker 1: to a robot, drone or whatever. So you can become 568 00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:30,440 Speaker 1: a limitation. And I think we've been quite smart actually 569 00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:33,440 Speaker 1: as a brand in saying, well, you know what, everyone 570 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:35,560 Speaker 1: loves a personality. You know, we turn on the TV 571 00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:38,280 Speaker 1: and we love to see these personalities, these characters that 572 00:32:38,400 --> 00:32:41,720 Speaker 1: we stand out and look different to one another. Imagine 573 00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:43,280 Speaker 1: if you watch the chat show and everybody on it 574 00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:45,800 Speaker 1: was exactly the same. You know, you want to see 575 00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:50,800 Speaker 1: see differences and that creates tensions and excitement and discourse. 576 00:32:50,880 --> 00:32:53,560 Speaker 1: And so you know, we're very lucky. It's forward. We've got. 577 00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:56,160 Speaker 1: We have these nameplates that are so iconic that we 578 00:32:56,240 --> 00:32:58,479 Speaker 1: can we can build on and really focus down on. 579 00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:02,600 Speaker 1: So you mustangs one, Bronco is another, Transit Frankly is 580 00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:05,040 Speaker 1: another one on as well. And I think then once 581 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:08,200 Speaker 1: you've taken this idea that it's cool, in fact, it's 582 00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:12,480 Speaker 1: got great potential in its differences, then then it frees 583 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:14,600 Speaker 1: you to focus down on doing exactly the right thing 584 00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:18,320 Speaker 1: for that particular nameplate, which is why then you know 585 00:33:18,320 --> 00:33:21,680 Speaker 1: a Bronco doesn't look like Explorer for example. You know, 586 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:24,880 Speaker 1: it's important that the differences are made. There might be 587 00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:29,560 Speaker 1: elements of you know, the Bronco's technology that we potentially 588 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:32,320 Speaker 1: could use elsewhere in our in our system, and that 589 00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:35,160 Speaker 1: would be sensible good business practice to do if it 590 00:33:35,320 --> 00:33:39,440 Speaker 1: if it offers the customer another vehicle line, a taffied improvement. 591 00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:41,760 Speaker 1: But in terms of appearance, now we need to do 592 00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:44,280 Speaker 1: things for Bronco that are true to Bronco and that's 593 00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:46,959 Speaker 1: that's how you respect the brand, but it's also how 594 00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:49,480 Speaker 1: you build the brand going forwards. So let's talk a 595 00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:52,280 Speaker 1: little bit about the future. Might we see at some 596 00:33:52,360 --> 00:33:57,120 Speaker 1: point a hybrid Bronco or a diesel Bronco, or even 597 00:33:57,160 --> 00:34:01,240 Speaker 1: an all electric Bronco. Is that conceivable? Again, you know, 598 00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:04,440 Speaker 1: I can't can't comment on the future product actions. This 599 00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:07,560 Speaker 1: is a competitive space, but the world of course is 600 00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:10,680 Speaker 1: moving on, so we're open eyed to to all sorts 601 00:34:10,719 --> 00:34:14,759 Speaker 1: of eventualities. Very much along those lines, Ford announced a 602 00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:19,080 Speaker 1: plan to work with Rivian's platform as a way to 603 00:34:19,719 --> 00:34:24,719 Speaker 1: jump start an acceleration towards a either a hybrid or 604 00:34:24,960 --> 00:34:29,280 Speaker 1: an electric future kind of interesting. I don't really recall 605 00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:33,040 Speaker 1: Forward doing anything like that in recent memory. Is that 606 00:34:33,160 --> 00:34:35,800 Speaker 1: just a way to hedge their bet against the internal 607 00:34:35,840 --> 00:34:41,160 Speaker 1: combustion engine or is it something new because technology allows 608 00:34:41,160 --> 00:34:44,239 Speaker 1: you to try things like that that you couldn't do previously. 609 00:34:44,800 --> 00:34:47,160 Speaker 1: Combination of all of those things that you know we have, 610 00:34:47,680 --> 00:34:52,200 Speaker 1: that's a very spectacular piece of investment. And it's very 611 00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:56,600 Speaker 1: exciting news that we're working with other companies all the time. 612 00:34:57,080 --> 00:35:00,000 Speaker 1: A lot of their names will be not very common 613 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:02,399 Speaker 1: and unless you work deep inside the car industry. So 614 00:35:02,520 --> 00:35:05,200 Speaker 1: I think a manufacturer like Forward wants to do the best, 615 00:35:06,080 --> 00:35:08,880 Speaker 1: you know, and wants to progress as quickly as possible 616 00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:13,760 Speaker 1: in a myriad of different directions depending on the needs 617 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:16,000 Speaker 1: of the products and the and the user. And I 618 00:35:16,080 --> 00:35:18,239 Speaker 1: think that the remin is just pensively just a more 619 00:35:18,280 --> 00:35:21,000 Speaker 1: public version of that. But you know, before we were 620 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:23,440 Speaker 1: deep inside the car industry, we could talk about all 621 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:26,480 Speaker 1: of the microscopic ones right down to you know, and 622 00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:29,080 Speaker 1: being a small company that might have invented an interesting 623 00:35:29,080 --> 00:35:31,360 Speaker 1: way of molding a switch, you know, that would also 624 00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:35,640 Speaker 1: be a method of trying to advance the subject of 625 00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:40,320 Speaker 1: car and truck forwards for us Chriss our competitors fascinating 626 00:35:40,520 --> 00:35:45,759 Speaker 1: you earlier mentioned graphine. How important are materials like graphine 627 00:35:46,440 --> 00:35:51,319 Speaker 1: in creating very lightweight but very strong materials that could 628 00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:54,200 Speaker 1: be used in future products. You know, I yet to 629 00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:57,040 Speaker 1: see graphine and really being used versus the promises that 630 00:35:57,160 --> 00:36:00,360 Speaker 1: were originally made. But I think the key that we 631 00:36:00,719 --> 00:36:04,400 Speaker 1: just need to be super open, open minded and constantly 632 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:09,239 Speaker 1: be looking towards and so you know, occasionally someone might say, well, 633 00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:11,400 Speaker 1: you know, cars the same, don't they and you go, 634 00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:13,640 Speaker 1: what can tell you? But the people who producing them 635 00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:17,359 Speaker 1: do not necessarily chet out to produce something that looks 636 00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:19,960 Speaker 1: the same as everything else that their eyes on the future. 637 00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:23,600 Speaker 1: But you know, if you're doing a one off, then yeah, 638 00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:26,879 Speaker 1: you can make things out of exhausting materials and unobtainium. 639 00:36:27,480 --> 00:36:30,200 Speaker 1: But the real challenge for product design is to try 640 00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:32,600 Speaker 1: and take those principles and then bring them to the 641 00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:35,239 Speaker 1: everyday person and to do it in volume as well. 642 00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:37,960 Speaker 1: That's a heck of a challenge. And so you know, 643 00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:40,800 Speaker 1: you can't blame the chap for dreaming those dreams. Sometimes 644 00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:44,200 Speaker 1: they turn into reality. We'll keep pushing. So let's stick 645 00:36:44,239 --> 00:36:48,920 Speaker 1: with the issue of reality. When you're early in the 646 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:56,359 Speaker 1: design process of any product, how are you balancing budget restrictions? 647 00:36:56,360 --> 00:36:58,640 Speaker 1: And what I mean by that is you have your 648 00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:01,080 Speaker 1: internal cost structure and you have to work with that, 649 00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:05,560 Speaker 1: but you also have a targeted m s r P. 650 00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:08,000 Speaker 1: What the vehicle is going to go on sale for. 651 00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:11,719 Speaker 1: How do those elements come into play as you work 652 00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:15,320 Speaker 1: your way through the process. There are people far cleverer 653 00:37:15,320 --> 00:37:19,319 Speaker 1: in the designer to talk about numbers believe belief. I 654 00:37:19,360 --> 00:37:23,120 Speaker 1: think we want to make profit making vehicles. Of course 655 00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:26,319 Speaker 1: we do, and there are lots of different influences upon that. 656 00:37:26,800 --> 00:37:30,520 Speaker 1: You can't laden a vehicle full of unnecessary componentry that 657 00:37:30,560 --> 00:37:34,399 Speaker 1: the customer won't appreciate and expect to improve your bottom line. 658 00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:38,080 Speaker 1: So you've got to be I think quite focus on 659 00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:41,520 Speaker 1: adding things to the vehicle where it's really necessary and 660 00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:44,400 Speaker 1: where it's going to be really appreciated first and foremost. 661 00:37:44,719 --> 00:37:47,480 Speaker 1: And then there's a constant tension between you know, what 662 00:37:47,520 --> 00:37:50,480 Speaker 1: we're wanting to include, this is what we think we 663 00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:53,080 Speaker 1: can sell it for, versus if you add a little 664 00:37:53,080 --> 00:37:56,880 Speaker 1: bit of additional componentry or something to or feature technology 665 00:37:56,960 --> 00:37:59,680 Speaker 1: or material to the vehicle. Will that actually make it 666 00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:02,799 Speaker 1: worth more? You know, will come we command a high price, 667 00:38:02,800 --> 00:38:06,320 Speaker 1: will out in the market. This debate, the yo yoing 668 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:11,759 Speaker 1: of of factors, it's continual throughout the entire process, and 669 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:14,000 Speaker 1: we're an active participants in it. But we don't sit 670 00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:17,680 Speaker 1: there with a calculator trying to work out the percentages. 671 00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:20,600 Speaker 1: We'll make our case for things that we feel quite 672 00:38:20,600 --> 00:38:23,239 Speaker 1: strongly about, and then there's a tied team, and the 673 00:38:23,719 --> 00:38:26,479 Speaker 1: PP team is really tight. You know, we can have good, 674 00:38:26,800 --> 00:38:30,759 Speaker 1: frank and open debates about the merits of one execution 675 00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:33,719 Speaker 1: versus another, and we're constantly looking for efficiencies to make 676 00:38:33,800 --> 00:38:36,960 Speaker 1: things better. But in the case of the Bronco, I 677 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:38,520 Speaker 1: would come back and say that, you know, we were 678 00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:41,920 Speaker 1: very open minded to the sort of less is more approach. 679 00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:44,360 Speaker 1: There's really nothing on the outside of these vehicles that 680 00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:48,000 Speaker 1: he is superfluous or unnecessary or rivals. And it became 681 00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:50,440 Speaker 1: a little bit of a hobby of mind driving to 682 00:38:50,440 --> 00:38:52,800 Speaker 1: work in the morning, just looking at the other vehicles 683 00:38:52,840 --> 00:38:54,920 Speaker 1: around me and thinking what can I take off that 684 00:38:55,080 --> 00:38:58,040 Speaker 1: vehicle and that's still function as a vehicle. There's things 685 00:38:58,040 --> 00:38:59,880 Speaker 1: that you can't take off. Obviously, the headlights. You know 686 00:39:00,080 --> 00:39:02,720 Speaker 1: they have to be there, but you know, extraneous pieces 687 00:39:02,719 --> 00:39:07,000 Speaker 1: of trim, you know, redundant lighting elements, all those sorts 688 00:39:07,040 --> 00:39:10,239 Speaker 1: of things. It became like a sort of training exercise 689 00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:15,319 Speaker 1: to leave the excessive elements of cars starling behind and 690 00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:18,760 Speaker 1: to focus exclusively on doing what was right for the Bronco. 691 00:39:19,320 --> 00:39:23,200 Speaker 1: Really really, really fun. So I'm sure if that answers 692 00:39:23,239 --> 00:39:25,920 Speaker 1: your question. But first of all, it's it's really complicated. 693 00:39:26,760 --> 00:39:29,680 Speaker 1: The studio is definitely a part of that debate, and 694 00:39:29,719 --> 00:39:32,560 Speaker 1: we ultimately come together to produce a vehicle it's going 695 00:39:32,600 --> 00:39:35,759 Speaker 1: to be very profitable for the company. So there are 696 00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:38,600 Speaker 1: a number of things beneath the skin of the Branco 697 00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:44,400 Speaker 1: that looked like they aren't inexpensive. So your terrain management 698 00:39:44,440 --> 00:39:47,640 Speaker 1: system is called Goat goes over any terrain. You have 699 00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:52,600 Speaker 1: seven different drive modes creating that cross beam free roof. 700 00:39:52,760 --> 00:39:54,840 Speaker 1: That whole roof comes off from the front of the 701 00:39:54,920 --> 00:39:57,120 Speaker 1: vehicle all the way to the back. That looks like 702 00:39:57,160 --> 00:40:01,239 Speaker 1: that was an engineering challenge. The trail furnacest. I mean, 703 00:40:01,280 --> 00:40:04,600 Speaker 1: there's a lot of off roading tech built into this, 704 00:40:06,120 --> 00:40:09,759 Speaker 1: the inclometer and including that, the ability to have a 705 00:40:09,840 --> 00:40:14,440 Speaker 1: display on your dashboard of the exact degree of your X, 706 00:40:14,600 --> 00:40:20,360 Speaker 1: Y and Z inclinations. None of that stuff looks especially inexpensive, 707 00:40:20,800 --> 00:40:24,120 Speaker 1: so I'm just curious how you managed to, you know, 708 00:40:24,320 --> 00:40:27,640 Speaker 1: work all that into a car that the base model 709 00:40:27,760 --> 00:40:32,440 Speaker 1: is twenty Yeah, so you know this is again it's 710 00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:35,400 Speaker 1: about focus, isn't it. So I'd much prefer to have 711 00:40:35,760 --> 00:40:38,799 Speaker 1: trail turnasist as a feature on it because I think 712 00:40:38,800 --> 00:40:42,480 Speaker 1: it's meaningful to the customer. For example, offer the bumpers 713 00:40:42,480 --> 00:40:45,759 Speaker 1: in body color. You would all the intrinsic complexity and 714 00:40:45,800 --> 00:40:48,319 Speaker 1: costs of that would drive you know. So it's all 715 00:40:48,360 --> 00:40:51,200 Speaker 1: about focus. And I think some of those technologies you 716 00:40:51,280 --> 00:40:56,200 Speaker 1: just listed us super super progressive. That's absually fantastic, and 717 00:40:56,239 --> 00:40:59,800 Speaker 1: they will make being off road and easier more for 718 00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:03,719 Speaker 1: filling a more accessible experience. You know, Broncos should be 719 00:41:03,719 --> 00:41:05,960 Speaker 1: about these amazing stories. You learned this at the beginning 720 00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:10,320 Speaker 1: of the development process. We have these beginning of a meeting. 721 00:41:10,400 --> 00:41:12,960 Speaker 1: Everyone's sort of arrived and there's that little chatty bit 722 00:41:13,040 --> 00:41:17,240 Speaker 1: before the gender starts, and it was a typical behavior 723 00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:20,840 Speaker 1: for people to go our table too. Are the Bronco 724 00:41:20,880 --> 00:41:23,400 Speaker 1: should be like? And then you you get these photographs 725 00:41:23,400 --> 00:41:25,480 Speaker 1: will come out of wallets, or the smartphone will come 726 00:41:25,480 --> 00:41:28,800 Speaker 1: out and be a picture of that person's Bronco or 727 00:41:28,840 --> 00:41:31,200 Speaker 1: their brothers Bronco, or their mum's Bronco, or the Bronco 728 00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:34,080 Speaker 1: picture of their mom and dad when they were much younger, 729 00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:37,239 Speaker 1: or the one they're looking out on at on bring 730 00:41:37,280 --> 00:41:40,040 Speaker 1: a trailer or the models would come out of the pockets. 731 00:41:40,080 --> 00:41:41,560 Speaker 1: You know, here, here's a hot wheels. That's what the 732 00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:43,880 Speaker 1: Bronco should be. What we learned very quickly was the 733 00:41:43,880 --> 00:41:49,080 Speaker 1: Broncos is about stories, like human stories, rich enduring stories, 734 00:41:49,120 --> 00:41:51,400 Speaker 1: and you know, you can't get to the point where 735 00:41:51,239 --> 00:41:54,360 Speaker 1: the vehicle is going to be able to create news 736 00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:57,560 Speaker 1: stories unless people are able to get access the vehicle 737 00:41:57,719 --> 00:42:00,280 Speaker 1: and put it into the landscape. With those those stories 738 00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:04,120 Speaker 1: be written most most intensely, and so technologies like that 739 00:42:04,120 --> 00:42:10,279 Speaker 1: that make accessing the wilderness so much easier critical to 740 00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:13,360 Speaker 1: the vehicle. He should not look like it can do it. 741 00:42:13,360 --> 00:42:14,960 Speaker 1: But it should not look like it can do it, 742 00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:16,920 Speaker 1: but only in the hands of an expert. We should 743 00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:18,919 Speaker 1: be able to make extra int of being off road, 744 00:42:19,239 --> 00:42:22,760 Speaker 1: much more open to everybody, more democratic, so everybody involved 745 00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:25,840 Speaker 1: in the program. Although it's not a product design, styling, 746 00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:31,400 Speaker 1: design kind of element. Everybody would in the studio environment 747 00:42:31,440 --> 00:42:34,719 Speaker 1: would recognize that those are deeply important and frankly and 748 00:42:34,840 --> 00:42:37,360 Speaker 1: better trade off than, for example, a piece of chrome, 749 00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:41,200 Speaker 1: you know, decorative chrome on the outside. So we work 750 00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:44,799 Speaker 1: together to produce products not not just things that look nice, 751 00:42:46,239 --> 00:42:50,360 Speaker 1: quite quite fascinating. I have another four hours of questions, 752 00:42:50,400 --> 00:42:53,600 Speaker 1: but I only have you for another five minutes, so 753 00:42:53,600 --> 00:42:56,680 Speaker 1: so let's jump right to our speed rounds. These are 754 00:42:56,719 --> 00:42:59,400 Speaker 1: the questions we ask all of our guests, and and 755 00:42:59,480 --> 00:43:02,520 Speaker 1: let's it out with a simple question. What are you 756 00:43:02,560 --> 00:43:06,320 Speaker 1: streaming these days? Give us your favorite Netflix, Amazon Prime 757 00:43:06,800 --> 00:43:09,440 Speaker 1: shows you're watching, or a podcast you might be listening to. 758 00:43:09,680 --> 00:43:14,120 Speaker 1: What is keeping you entertained under lockdown? I watched very 759 00:43:14,160 --> 00:43:16,799 Speaker 1: little television and all. Honestly, I spend most of my 760 00:43:16,840 --> 00:43:21,640 Speaker 1: time researching things on social media. Podcast wise, actually, I'm 761 00:43:21,680 --> 00:43:24,640 Speaker 1: a real fan of motor sports. Listened to the BBC's 762 00:43:24,920 --> 00:43:29,160 Speaker 1: Checkered Flag formerly one podcast. I love the sort of 763 00:43:29,680 --> 00:43:34,640 Speaker 1: references to high technology, teamwork and determination that comes through 764 00:43:34,680 --> 00:43:38,239 Speaker 1: that that I started quite inspiring. And also soon I'm 765 00:43:38,239 --> 00:43:40,760 Speaker 1: going to be listening to the Bring Back Bronco podcast 766 00:43:40,800 --> 00:43:43,120 Speaker 1: that's going to help explain some of the stories of 767 00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:46,120 Speaker 1: the Bronco so that I will be listening to quite interesting. 768 00:43:46,640 --> 00:43:49,600 Speaker 1: Tell us about some of your mentors who helped guide 769 00:43:49,640 --> 00:43:54,839 Speaker 1: your career and helped you arrive where you are today. Probably, yeah, 770 00:43:54,960 --> 00:43:59,000 Speaker 1: I would say your family is very good at helping 771 00:43:59,040 --> 00:44:01,799 Speaker 1: you start. You know that that child who was just 772 00:44:01,840 --> 00:44:06,520 Speaker 1: fascinated with cars, who fortunately was dragged two places where 773 00:44:06,560 --> 00:44:09,879 Speaker 1: amazing cars could be seen to sort of feed this fascination, 774 00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:12,400 Speaker 1: I think that's a good starting point. Some of the 775 00:44:12,440 --> 00:44:17,040 Speaker 1: tutors that I had at my universities were really instrumental 776 00:44:17,120 --> 00:44:19,200 Speaker 1: and first of all allowing me to study in the 777 00:44:19,239 --> 00:44:23,799 Speaker 1: first place, but then also helping encourage my enthusiasm and 778 00:44:23,880 --> 00:44:26,840 Speaker 1: point it in the right direction. But you know, more recently, 779 00:44:27,080 --> 00:44:29,319 Speaker 1: I would say that I wouldn't Namames, but I would 780 00:44:29,320 --> 00:44:34,000 Speaker 1: say it's a combination of the many very experienced, very 781 00:44:34,040 --> 00:44:39,600 Speaker 1: senior people in in this company who have provided fantastic 782 00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:44,200 Speaker 1: guidance and decision making and the multitude of products that 783 00:44:44,239 --> 00:44:47,279 Speaker 1: have been involved with over the years. And it's from 784 00:44:47,400 --> 00:44:51,239 Speaker 1: from those insights and encouragement that you're able to do more, 785 00:44:51,680 --> 00:44:55,960 Speaker 1: do more accurately and progress. It's it's not sort of 786 00:44:56,400 --> 00:44:59,319 Speaker 1: Favorancis and it's frankly, it's just information, and you use 787 00:44:59,360 --> 00:45:01,799 Speaker 1: that information in a in a really useful way to 788 00:45:01,840 --> 00:45:05,040 Speaker 1: get better. Quite interesting. Tell us about what you're reading, 789 00:45:05,280 --> 00:45:07,480 Speaker 1: What are you reading currently, or what are some of 790 00:45:07,520 --> 00:45:13,480 Speaker 1: your previous favorite books? Wired? I read Wired Magazine. That's 791 00:45:13,480 --> 00:45:16,680 Speaker 1: another book, but that that that I always read cover 792 00:45:16,760 --> 00:45:19,760 Speaker 1: to cover, usually early the morning with a coffee. Twenty 793 00:45:19,800 --> 00:45:24,239 Speaker 1: one Lessons than twenty one Century, I usual, Noah Hararis 794 00:45:24,719 --> 00:45:26,560 Speaker 1: being through that a couple of times. Actually, that that 795 00:45:26,760 --> 00:45:30,319 Speaker 1: that that finds constantly quite inspiring. And a couple of 796 00:45:30,320 --> 00:45:32,960 Speaker 1: books by Bill Bryson actually, particularly on the Home. That 797 00:45:33,000 --> 00:45:35,279 Speaker 1: book was fascinating. Again. I read that over and over. 798 00:45:35,800 --> 00:45:38,560 Speaker 1: The amazing observations about something which is so familiar as 799 00:45:38,600 --> 00:45:41,399 Speaker 1: a home, your house, you know, a journey through a house, 800 00:45:41,440 --> 00:45:44,120 Speaker 1: each individual room and where that room came from, and 801 00:45:44,160 --> 00:45:46,520 Speaker 1: what he's in that room, and where all those inventions 802 00:45:46,520 --> 00:45:52,480 Speaker 1: came from. That simplicity that he's got in explaining things 803 00:45:52,520 --> 00:45:55,480 Speaker 1: that we just take for granted. Um, it seems like 804 00:45:55,520 --> 00:45:58,200 Speaker 1: a very good analysis of brilliant product designed to me 805 00:45:58,280 --> 00:46:01,040 Speaker 1: says that seems to to to be on my best 806 00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:05,160 Speaker 1: on my table quite often, quite interesting what sort of 807 00:46:05,200 --> 00:46:08,439 Speaker 1: advice would you give to a recent college graduate who 808 00:46:08,560 --> 00:46:13,400 Speaker 1: was interested in working in the automotive industry. This is 809 00:46:13,440 --> 00:46:17,360 Speaker 1: advice I give often because I'm in the fortune position 810 00:46:17,360 --> 00:46:20,480 Speaker 1: to be able to to employ people from college. And 811 00:46:20,560 --> 00:46:23,640 Speaker 1: I guess why I always try and explain is is 812 00:46:23,680 --> 00:46:25,680 Speaker 1: not to try and emulate what they think that they 813 00:46:25,719 --> 00:46:28,759 Speaker 1: should be doing in the car industry, but too u 814 00:46:29,200 --> 00:46:32,280 Speaker 1: former point of view, have a point of view about 815 00:46:32,320 --> 00:46:34,680 Speaker 1: what they think mobility should be about in the future, 816 00:46:34,920 --> 00:46:38,560 Speaker 1: and hang onto it and they keep keep driving that forwards. 817 00:46:38,719 --> 00:46:41,480 Speaker 1: And listen most of all to that little instinct. You know, 818 00:46:41,520 --> 00:46:43,879 Speaker 1: we've all got it, and we know that it's there 819 00:46:43,960 --> 00:46:45,960 Speaker 1: because sometimes it will be in a situation we go 820 00:46:46,080 --> 00:46:48,480 Speaker 1: I knew that was going to happen. Will rather than 821 00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:51,799 Speaker 1: be commenting after the effect, we need to listen to 822 00:46:51,840 --> 00:46:55,880 Speaker 1: that little voice, you know, very quiet voice, much earlier 823 00:46:55,880 --> 00:46:58,040 Speaker 1: on and act on it and do something in advance 824 00:46:58,080 --> 00:47:02,160 Speaker 1: of a thing happening. So listen to your instinct, have 825 00:47:02,320 --> 00:47:04,239 Speaker 1: the point of view, and do something with it. And 826 00:47:04,280 --> 00:47:07,920 Speaker 1: basically also worked really hard. We have been speaking with 827 00:47:07,960 --> 00:47:10,640 Speaker 1: Paul Raith. He is the chief designer for the new 828 00:47:10,680 --> 00:47:13,839 Speaker 1: Ford Bronco and the chief designer for Ford. If you 829 00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:17,200 Speaker 1: enjoy this conversation, well, be sure and check out all 830 00:47:17,239 --> 00:47:20,919 Speaker 1: of the previous three hundred and fifties such discussions we've 831 00:47:20,920 --> 00:47:24,560 Speaker 1: had over the prior six years. You can find that 832 00:47:24,719 --> 00:47:29,920 Speaker 1: at iTunes, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, wherever final podcasts are sold. 833 00:47:30,360 --> 00:47:33,600 Speaker 1: We love your comments, feedback and suggestions. Write to us 834 00:47:33,680 --> 00:47:37,560 Speaker 1: at m IB podcast at Bloomberg dot net. Be sure 835 00:47:37,560 --> 00:47:40,479 Speaker 1: to check out my weekly column on Bloomberg dot com 836 00:47:40,560 --> 00:47:43,759 Speaker 1: slash Opinion. Sign up for our daily reads at rid 837 00:47:43,800 --> 00:47:47,200 Speaker 1: Halts dot com, follow us on Twitter at rit Halts, 838 00:47:47,280 --> 00:47:49,759 Speaker 1: and be sure to give us a review at Apple iTunes. 839 00:47:50,400 --> 00:47:52,319 Speaker 1: I would be remiss if I did not thank the 840 00:47:52,360 --> 00:47:55,879 Speaker 1: crack staff that helps put this conversation together each week. 841 00:47:56,600 --> 00:47:59,560 Speaker 1: Michael Boyle is my producer. Michael bat Nick is my 842 00:47:59,600 --> 00:48:03,359 Speaker 1: head of search. Marufal is our audio engineer. Attica val 843 00:48:03,440 --> 00:48:07,640 Speaker 1: Brunn is our project manager. I'm Barry Hults. You've been 844 00:48:07,640 --> 00:48:10,760 Speaker 1: listening to Masters in Business on Bloomberg Radio.