Washington Auto Press Honors Ford Dean of Driving Dynamics

    WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 Ford Motor Company's top
product engineering executive was honored last night by the Washington
Automotive Press Association (WAPA) for his advocacy of driving dynamics.
    Richard Parry-Jones, group vice president, Global Product Development and
Quality, was cited for his leadership and lofty standards in the development
of such recent successes as the Ford Focus, the Jaguar S-Type and the Lincoln
LS.
    WAPA president Mitch McCullough said Parry-Jones "believes every Ford car
should be fun to drive -- a stance that's not always easy for a major auto
maker."
    Noting Parry-Jones' decision to delay the LS launch until its steering
response was exactly right, McCullough said, "Clearly, this guy has guts and
clearly he has a passion for cars."
    McCullough presented Parry-Jones with WAPA's Golden Gear Award, given
annually in recognition of outstanding automotive achievement.  Prior winners
include Soichiro Honda, Carroll Shelby and quality guru W. Edwards Deming.
    Parry-Jones said cars with good vehicle dynamics are like high-end
stereos.  "You want to hear the music, but not the background noise.  I feel
ride, steering, braking, handling, acceleration are the same.  And a car
should have character.  It should speak to you.
    "Our vehicles must pass the 50-meter test.  I tell our engineers that if
the customers drive it over 50 meters and don't know what brand it is -- if
they can't tell if it's a Volvo, a Jaguar, a Ford -- we've failed."
    Vehicle dynamics, he added, "is a bit like creating a harmony.  Everything
has to be holistic.  It's no good having impressive brakes if the throttle
response is sluggish.  It's no good having a fast-ranging gear shift if the
steering is a little thin.  The total control system, the interaction of the
vehicle has to be speaking with one voice."
    Ford's final voice on vehicle sign-offs belongs to Parry-Jones.  The
globetrotting, Welsh-born, former rally driver and motorcycle racer logs up to
30,000 miles a year evaluating Ford and competitor products while directing
some 31,000 engineers on Ford's global product engineering team.  But, he
admits, it's a labor of love.
    "It's not just cars I love, but driving," he explained.  "Cars, racing
cars, motorcycles, off-road.  If it has wheels and it moves, I love to drive
it.  I decided to design cars when I was 10, to work for Ford when I was 13
and actually started with Ford as a co-op student at 16.
    "I've landed a dream job, a job that I love.  The only higher honor or
reward is the privilege to lead the truly talented team of engineers and
scientists at Ford."