Ford hires Piaskowski to head exterior design

Former Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz designer Joel Piaskowski joins Ford Motor Co. on Oct. 1 as head of exterior design for Ford in the Americas.

Piaskowski's move from Mercedes-Benz was confirmed by a Ford spokeswoman on Monday.

Piaskowski, 41, designed many of Hyundai's recent concept cars and is credited with designing the Hyundai Genesis coupe and sedan.

Piaskowski joined Hyundai after spending 13 years at General Motors. He left Hyundai, where he was chief designer, at the end of 2008 to join Mercedes-Benz. He worked as head of design for the automaker's advanced design studio in Irvine, Calif. He left that job in March.

"Keeping your eyes open as you walk through life is very important because you never know what is going to inspire you," Piaskowski said about his approach to design in an interview with Automotive News in 2005.

Piaskowski is a graduate of the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.

By Brad Constant