Dave Woodhouse played a key roll in Lincoln's renaissance and is now heading up Nissan North America's design team.

Nissan has hired away the top designer at the Lincoln brand from the Ford Motor Co. to serve as its new design chief in North America.

David Woodhouse, who has overseen Lincoln design during Ford’s recent efforts to revive the brand, will serve as vice president, Nissan Design America, Nissan announced.

In this role, Woodhouse will lead all Nissan and Infiniti design activities in North America. He will also serve on the company’s Global Nissan Design Management Committee.

“As we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Nissan Design America, I am pleased that David Woodhouse will be leading and inspiring our talented team in San Diego,” said Alfonso Albaisa, senior vice president, Global Design, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.

(Nissan earnings plunge on lower sales, rising warranty costs. Click Here for the story.)

Alfonso Albaisa, senior vice president, Global Design, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., welcomed Woodhouse to the Nissan design team.

“David’s talent, leadership and vision will ensure that NDA shapes an exciting future for the Infiniti and Nissan brands as well as groundbreaking user experience concepts for our customers for years to come,” Albaisa said.

The Nissan announcement noted Woodhouse brings more than 25 years of global automotive design expertise to his new role at Nissan. Woodhouse’s career includes time with a number of global premium brands, including Mini, Cadillac, Range Rover and BMW as well as his post at Lincoln.

Founded in 1979, Nissan Design America was Nissan’s first design studio outside of Japan.

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It is now a full-production design studio capable of handling all phases of automotive design development, from exploratory to production. NDA designs vehicles for global markets with a particular emphasis on the North American region.

The studio also works in close collaboration with its global design counterparts, as well as with Nissan Technical Centers in Japan and North America.

NDA creates innovative designs that contribute significantly to the continued evolution of the company’s brands and the advancement of Nissan Intelligent Mobility.

(Infiniti set to abandon Western European market. Click Here for the story.)

In North America, Nissan’s operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing.