BREAKING IN: Next Up: Chelsia Lau

Next Up: Chelsia Lau

2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Concept

Chelsea Lau got her start drawing pictures in her parent’s restaurant in Hong Kong. Noticing her artistic ability, her parents took her to a tutor every week outside of her usual schoolwork. After graduating from the Lee Wai Lee Technical Institute with a degree in product design, Lau made the leap to the United States by attending the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

While in Pasadena, she took an internship with Ford. It was during those three months of training that she discovered her passion for automotive design. Lau officially joined Ford in 1992 and has been responsible for several key vehicles, including the Mercury MC 4 (while still a junior in the studio), and Ford Explorer SportTrac concepts, both of which debuted at the North American International Auto Show. Ford fast-tracked Lau’s talent to the design teams for key models, from the Explorer to the Fiesta. In 2004, she led the design of a small SUV for South America which is now the segment leader. In 2006 she was the winner of World’s Outstanding Chinese Designer by the Hong Kong Design Center. She is now the chief designer of Ford’s design strategic concepts group in Shanghai.