Last night at the Automotive News World Congress in Dearborn, MI, FoMoCo global design chief J Mays outlined five must-have elements designers need to "figure out" when planning a new vehicle. They include looking at the customer, determination of brand aspiration, telling a story, choosing the appropriate vehicle platform and looking for "that thing" to make it stand out. According to Mays, "that thing" is some kind of a "secret sauce" that "surprises and delights you" and when you've

"...put it all on a proper platform, shake that up with a little bit of 'that thing,' and I think you're going to have, more times than not, a successful vehicle."

Given that comment we've got to wonder — who exactly was the project manager who decided the new Ford Focus (pictured in gallery below) had the requisite amount of "secret sauce?" We're kind of thinking maybe FoMoCo should send it back for a little bit more — unless of course by "secret sauce" Mays means the team gets liquored up during the design process. If that's the case, maybe they should cut back a little. – Ray Wert

Mays: Designs need 'that thing' to be a success (sub. req.) [Automotive News]

Related:
Detroit Auto Show: 2008 Ford Focus; Viva La Mustang! Viva Free Booze! Viva La Lara Flynn Boyle! Giugiaro 'Stang Launch Party [internal]

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