Automotive News - July 14, 2008 - (Page 20)

20 • JULY 14, 2008 Manfred Fitzgerald: Design cues come from everywhere. How to design a Lamborghini? Passion for speed certainly helps M anfred Fitzgerald is in charge of design at Lamborghini, but he is not a designer by training. He’s a former race car driver. Strange? “In fashion, Tom Ford is not a designer,” says Fitzgerald. “In photography, David LaChapelle has the eye but doesn’t know what lenses he has. Our creative people have different backgrounds. The Reventon (midengined sports car) designer is a CAD specialist. We have an aerospace engineer. But I don’t believe in having one guy do the wheel rims and Person to person another do the headlights.” Fitzgerald, an American raised in Germany, says Lambo’s design team doesn’t have to look far for inspiration. “We get our cues from everywhere,” he says. “For the Reventon, I took the team to a NATO base to look at airplanes.” Name: Manfred Fitzgerald Title: Director of brand and design, Automobili Lamborghini Age: 44 Family: Married, one son, one daughter Birthplace: Rheinland Pfalz, Germany Works: Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy Languages: English, German, Italian, some French What was your childhood ambition? I wanted to be a jet pilot. My dad was in the U.S. Air Force. I was an Air Force brat, and we moved to Germany when I was 10. The Air Force later even recruited me for intel. I was never a passionate car lover, but I was always into speed and competition. Were you an athlete? I was a pretty good 100-meter runner. I was consistently under 11 seconds. But I was going to school in Cologne with a U.S. passport, and all competition was to get to the national championships — and for that you have to be German. So it was not an issue. If you had one do-over in life, what would it be? I should have taken school more seriously. I studied economics at the University of Cologne, but I didn’t finish. What happened instead? I went into racing as a driver. I was in Formula Opel/Lotus, which was the series before Formula 3000. I had a contract with a British team, but they went bankrupt, so I called it a day. Then (former Formula One champion) Keke Rosberg, who was managing a German Touring Car team, asked me to manage his team. Then I managed three works teams in International Touring Car. From there I moved on to the technical development center for Opel, to serve in communications and as assistant to the chairman of the board. How did you end up at Lamborghini? In 1999 I was still at Opel. I had just married my German wife. I had a choice of joining Toyota’s Formula One team or Ferrari or Lamborghini. If you were not in the auto industry, what would you be doing? I’d still be living in Italy. Life is about fulfillment here. I’d be doing something creative, probably fashion. Name three people, from any time period, you would love to have dinner with. Former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, Steve Jobs and the Dalai Lama. What is the last book you read? Something by Dean Koontz Your last vacation? Malta, three years ago What’s the last thing you loaded on your iPod? The vocal group Neri Per Caso, which means Black by Coincidence. They’re Italian, but they have so much soul. They are really groovy. — Mark Rechtin http://www.cnanational.com http://www.cnanational.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - July 14, 2008

Small-car boom misses Chrysler Ford's large rwd car plan is iffy Suppliers: Inflation is looming Hummer H3T price: $31,495 VW may build next Passat in U.S. plant Glut of trucks pulls Prius to U.S. Ford sues U.S. over taxes Restyled Ridgeline Volvo will tighten U.S. dealer network As BMW's chief in N.A., Purves got biggest thrill out of Mini Despite pricey fuel, Jetta diesel in demand Everybody's a critic: How dealers cope with online reviews Hyundai goes big on Genesis lease The shift to automatic: A transmission transition Jaguar-Land Rover dealer: Stand-alone would bankrupt me Chevy christens compact Cruze Fiat, BMW will team up on platforms, parts Revision: Bosch still tops Auto News supplier list GM to build Volts in U.S. for Europe GM ads will push mpg for 90 days A missed opportunity 2008 sales forecast? 14,652,757 Suzuki cuts U.S. work force 8% CAFE standards: Stop whining and get to work Uncertainty is the name of the game Honda dealer rubs salt in a wound Careless driver was to blame for crash Unsafe driving wasn't Ford's fault For doomsayers, business is booming again Best ad slogans have staying power Bird Dog Club creator hunts dealer poachers Dealers How to design a Lamborghini? Passion for speed certainly helps Dressed to kill Check for children Delinquency rate on indirect loans skyrockets Group promotes payment assurance Ford has big plans for small vehicles in North America Mulally pushes Ford toward fuel efficiency Ford brand will draw on European lineup With no new vehicles planned, Mercury's future is bleak Engines promise power plus fuel economy Horbury: We'll keep our vehicle designs fresh Ford aims to move Lincoln upscale Toyota's Lentz: Don't panic over collapse; market will stabilize Personnel Chrysler's car sales sag in June — even more than trucks PG sells majority of auto glass business to private-equity firm Chrysler's Campi makes nice Suit against Ford is reinstated BMW reassesses Mini demand JCI plant cuts shift, work force CAW board endorses local president Purves: Thumbs-up for BMW innovations Current trend in Europe: Electric cars Solid reviews for Ford's new Flex Philosopher has insight for ailing U.S. auto industry The 'B' word brings media deathwatch at GM Chrysler to dealers: Don't panic

Automotive News - July 14, 2008

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