STEVE PINTAR: CHIEF ENGINEER PROUD OF FIESTA FUEL ECONOMY, DYNAMICS
- Fiesta Chief Program Engineer Steve Pintar has spent his Ford career in Product Development
- A Wisconsin native, Pintar has worked on hobby cars since high school, and he currently has a 1967 Mustang project vehicle
- The married father of four, Pintar has learned that a global vehicle program means early mornings and late evenings
Steve Pintar has learned to get by on less sleep. The 21-year Ford veteran product developer, now chief program engineer for the 2011 Fiesta, has found that launching a global vehicle program means long hours – early mornings and late nights – with extensive travel.
“I’ve really been fortunate to be supported by a phenomenal team around the world,” said Pintar. “I’ve come to rely on their collective leadership when I cannot be present.”
Fiesta is a new platform for North America built in a new plant facility while relying on a geographically diverse supply base. With variations already on sale in Europe and Asia, coordination and alignment among global teams has been critical.
“Fiesta really puts Ford’s global product expertise on display,” said Pintar. “The entire global Fiesta team takes pride in bringing a desirable and stylish new small car to the North American market. Fiesta will raise customer expectations for the small car segment with a high level of feature content and best-in-class fuel economy of up to 40 mpg highway – all wrapped in an incredibly fun-to-drive package.”
Pintar grew up in Milwaukee, earning his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. After graduation, Pintar hired directly into Ford, then earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan. He earned an additional master’s from Wayne State University – this time in engineering management.
From Advanced Engineering, Pintar transitioned to Special Vehicle Engineering, with development responsibilities for high-performance Ford variants including Focus and Mustang. This led to chassis engineering and vehicle dynamics for large car programs. He worked on other car and crossover programs, most recently serving as chief program engineer for the 2008 Focus.
Throughout his Ford product development career, Pintar observed a significant and positive cultural shift. “In the last few years, we’ve aligned all of our regions to work together toward common goals,” he said. “From top to bottom, we’re now ONE Ford, united to deliver the best products on a global basis.”
Personal Insights and Fun Facts
- Steve’s current project vehicle is a 1967 Mustang
- Steve has two master’s degrees
- This busy chief engineer is married and has four children
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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 198,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and, until its sale, Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 198,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and, until its sale, Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.
April 19, 2010