Wikipedia states that the LCV development is a responsibility of the Dunton Technical Centre (Ford of Britain), together with A- and B-segment cars.
Currently Dunton has responsibility for the design of the Ford Fiesta, the Ford Ka, engines for Ford of Europe (powertrain), commercial vehicles and the interior of Ford of Europe cars.
Maybe this could sound a bit too generic, as for example we know that the Mk4 and Mk5 Transit were designed in the US, but so far I used to default all the European Ford LCVs as origin UK in my entries.
Anyway, there is a confirmation for the Mk3 Transit by
AROnline:
[...] So, while the early 1980s took its toll on the dear old Sherpa, Designers at Ford’s UK-based Design Centre (Dunton, Essex) busied themselves with sketching, clay shaving and clinicing their future Transit replacement.
The same site reports some interesting development histories - not only of Ford vehicles - which could be helpful in assigning the correct origin also to post-unification passenger vehicles.
- The
Sierra seems to be a mostly German design, as confirmed also by an user in comments who states to have worked at the project in Merkenich
- The
Capri is a cooperation between the British and German centres, started by the Engineering Team of Dagenham in 1964. The Cologne Design Department joined around in 1966.
Development of the European Mustang came under the codename, ‘Colt’ in 1964 – a reference to the car’s role as a baby Pony Car, and was initially undertaken by the Engineering Team at Dagenham. As the project continued towards its July 1966 sign-off, an increasing amount of co-operation with Ford’s Engineering and Design Department in Cologne resulted in the Capri being the second pan-European Ford after the Escort.
[...]
the new car actually boasted a bespoke platform developed in the UK that comprised of the best bits of the Escort and its larger brother, the Corsair.
- The
Mondeo MkI started as a worldwide project (CDW27), with studies made by centres in California, Germany, UK and by Ghia in Italy. For what is to understand from this article, it seems that the first Mondeo is really a cooperation work of all the Ford divisions.
Ford calls its staff ‘the family’, and ‘the family’ from all over the world created the Mondeo together. It was designed by Americans, Germans and the Brits (with help from the Italians), tested by the Scandinavians, and built by the Belgians.
Head of the design for the European version was David Price of the Dunton Technical Centre, while the first accepted design proposal came from the Cologne design studio
During 1988 John Oldfield was promoted to Executive Director of Programme Offices, leaving David Price (a Director of Power Train Programmes) to head-up the CDW27 project and deliver it to production. Such was the importance of the programme, he reported directly to Lindsey Halstead – Chairman of Ford of Europe.
[...]
The design from Cologne in Germany [...] had an almost Japanese feel to it [...] Ultimately, though, it would emerge the surprise victor of the four proposals – and its sculptured sill design survived all the way to the final production design.
[...]
That spring, Design Director Andy Jacobson (successor to Sierra’s ‘father’ Uwe Bahnsen) gave John Doughty’s European Merkenich (Cologne) studios the go-ahead for the finalised CDW27.
- The
Granada is confirmed as being a German design for what regards the Mk2, for the Mk1 they write again about a pan-european design, although it could seem that most of the work was made in the UK
The Granada would also show that a pan-European Ford could be just as desirable in London as it was in Berlin.
[...]
The new executive car was certainly smart and well proportioned, and proof that Ford in the UK had not lost its direction stylistically, despite what some critics of the Z-cars might have said.
- The unified
Taunus/Cortina models seem to be still enough differentiated for what regards the first generation [TC] to gain each of them its own origin flag (UK-Cortina and DE-Taunus), but from this article it seems that from the [TC2] model the most of the design is German made, although it's not specified
For other models, an eventual differentiation results for now very difficult. I have read sources throughout the web and books who gave me an overall idea, but nothing 100% sure for now, except maybe for the Ford Ka Mk1, which seems to be an almost entire British design.
I would say for now, origins of we could be almost sure could be:
- Ford Capri (both generations): pan-European, but started in UK
- Ford Cortina MkIII: UK
- Ford Escort MkI: UK
- Ford Fiesta MkI: totally pan-European
- Ford Galaxy MkI: Germany
- Ford Granada MkII: Germany
- Ford Ka MkI: UK
- Ford Mondeo MkI: pan-European, but more specifically, mostly German styled and British engineered
- Ford Scorpio MkI/Granada MkIII: Germany
- Ford Sierra: Germany
- Ford Taunus TC1: Germany
- Ford Taunus TC2/Cortina MkIV: Germany
- Ford Transit MkIII: UK
- Ford Transit MkIV/MkV: USA
My guesses for other models, based on informations from the web or books but not sure unless I retrieve and collect them, are:
- Ford C-Max (all): Germany
- Ford Escort MkII->on: mainly Germany (for MkIV the head of design was Helmuth Schrader of the Metternich Centre)
- Ford Focus MkI: UK (head of design: Richard Parry-Jones of Ford Britain)
- Ford Focus MkII -> on: Germany
- Ford Galaxy MkII/MkIII: Germany
- Ford Kuga (both generations): Germany
- Ford Mondeo MkIII -> on: Germany
- Ford S-Max (all): Germany
- Ford Scorpio MkII: Germany
For what regards the LCVs, I'd leave for all the UK origin, excluding the Transit Mk4/5 if the US origin is confirmed, and the Transit Connect Mk3, which is a rebadged VW Caddy.
Anyway, I'm doing some further researches. I will update this post when I've found other interesting sources
(or maybe better in a separate one if there is a lot to discuss ?)