Ford unveils new design direction

[FLPanhandle]

http://www.leftlanenews.com/ford-evos-concept.html



"We wanted the Ford Evos Concept to give a clear message about where Ford design is heading,” said J Mays, Ford’s design chief. “Our exciting new design DNA has been developed and refined by an intensive effort by all of our talented global design team.”

Inside, Evos boasts a driver-oriented cabin with limited switchgear. Instead, the car features a high-tech, cloud-based system of displays that actively grab information to both present it to the driver and to modify the vehicle for various conditions. For example, Ford says that Evos will automatically change steering and suspension response in accordance to varying weather conditions it might discern from cloud-based information sources.

Powering this concept is a lithium ion plug-in hybrid powertrain that Ford says offers the same performance and fuel economy as the Ford C-MAX Energi the automaker will introduce here next year.




Nice looking design and looks like Ford is embracing the plug in hybrid powertrain too. Hybrids have come a long way.

[closeupready]

1. Reminds me of the DeLorean.

But very sharp. I like it! K&R

[FLPanhandle]

3. I was reminded of an Aston Martin

Much better looking hybrid than our Prius is.

[hifiguy]

4. I definitely see the Aston influences in the front

and the side creasing. Pretty cool looking car.

[Xithras]

19. Not a shock. Ford owned AM until 2007.

But yeah, my first thought was "It's a DB9" too. I suspect that Fords designers were influenced by Aston Martin's designers back when they were one company (and, fwiw, Ford still owns a huge chunk of AM today). Luckily for them, most Americans aren't that familiar with Aston Martin, and won't see the similarity.

Jeremy Clarkson is going to have a field day with it though. "Ford shows it's vision of the future...by copying the British!"

[Brickbat]

2. I like the look of the car. I hate the techno crap.

[FLPanhandle]

5. I understand the techno dislike

When we bought a Prius for our daughter, it took me 3 hours with the manual and DVD to get the systems all programed in.

I told her my truck "you get in, turn the key, throw a lever, hear a clunk of shifting metal, and you go". None of this other stuff.

Still, drive a car from the 1950's & 1960's. While beautiful, most don't drive as well as the techno cars of today.

[Ikonoklast]

7. Well, Ford won't *force* you to listen to Kraftwerk.

I'm sure that there will be other listening choices.

[Brickbat]

8. Actually, I like Kraftwerk.

:hide:

[hifiguy]

9. Me, too.

And Kruder & Dorfmeister, Tosca, Armin van Buuren......

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

13. That gives me quite the mental image

I can't stop picturing car coming with the Kraftwerk guys jamming out on their calculators in the passengers seats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZt64_XOflk

[Odin2005]

35. I love the "techno-crap", LOL.

[Romulox]

6. Um, sweet!

[Nuclear Unicorn]

15. Robots in disguise!

[madrchsod]

10. well i`m to old and could`t afford these cars but...

i`ve survived almost 50 yrs of driving in every kind of weather possible. if i felt i could`t handle the car i pulled over and waited till i could. so far the cloud in my head has worked pretty good.

[tabasco]

11. Stupid fucking assholes reverting to their standard form.

Plug in shit and a bunch of stupid fucking gimmicks.

[Lars39]

12. Say Ford Evos fast.....Devos?

As in Devos of Michigan? That's some major kiss-up going on there.

[Romulox]

25. Um, say Lars39 fast. Sound a bit like...

:crazy:

[Lars39]

27. I know that it's a stretch, but Devos is pretty powerful there.

Or "whip it, whip it good" was on the speaker. :silly:

[Blue_Tires]

14. yeah, J Mays' stuff runs hot and cold

[MadHound]

16. Sounds like lots and lots of exteraneous crap to go wrong

I don't need a computer on wheels, I need a car.

[Shagbark Hickory]

18. That's the idea.

Ford hasn't gotten where it is today by making cars where crap never goes wrong.

[Shagbark Hickory]

17. Nice looking car. Too bad it won't look anything like that by the time

they take the concept to a production model

[Romulox]

24. It's a technology test-bed. Not intended for production. nt

[Shagbark Hickory]

28. WEll that kinda sux. Dangle cheese, why don't you ford,,,

Reminds me of the Nissan NV prototype that had a build in desk and swivel captains chairs, a lunch truck style window with a work bench. Built ins for storing tools. It was the awsomest van ever. I was ready to buy one. What actually came out looked the same but without all the cool features. It's just another boring box on wheels. No desk. No swivel chairs. No lunch truck window. No built-ins.

[Cleita]

20. I would rather car companies developed a car that

runs on solar panels integrated into the design of the body of the car, with batteries to store excess electricity on sunny days to use on rainy and overcast days and at night. Sure a back up hybrid biodiesel tank could be integrated into the design as well for more northern climates and those who have to drive all night.

[Yo_Mama]

33. Solar panels that fit on a car don't produce that much power

If they did, I am quite sure that the car companies would try this.

[krispos42]

36. The solar panels wouldn't develop much power.

At this range (93 million miles) the Sun's energy output is 1,300 watts per square meter. Solar cells have about a 25% conversion rate, cutting that down to about 325 watts per square meter. A horsepower is 746 watts, or 2 square meters worth of solar cells. I doubt more than that would fit on a car's roof and hood.

So even under a ideal circumstances, solar cells on the roof would only give you enough power to run, say, couple of TV sets and maybe a couple of incandescent bulbs.

:shrug:

It would be great to have a solar cell array to keep the battery charged up and to run accessories in the car, like a cell-phone charger or a radio. Past that, it's just not enough.

[Initech]

21. I'm glad to see that Ford is embracing Eco-friendly vehicles.

I'm looking at the union made Focus, which gets 40 mpg sans the hybrid engine!

[NNN0LHI]

22. Looks like an Aston Martin Rapide

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Martin_Rapide

[HopeHoops]

23. Does it come in yellow? Yeah, I'd drive one of those. Kick-ass gull wings.

[Matariki]

26. Oh, that will go well...

"For example, Ford says that Evos will automatically change steering and suspension response in accordance to varying weather conditions it might discern from cloud-based information sources. "

If that works anything like the auto correct on my phone...

http://damnyouautocorrect.com/

[DainBramaged]

29. Hmmmmmmmmmm what's new again someone else did already

-FORD Concept
-Hyundai Genesis

[musette_sf]

30. A Taurus on steroids and testosterone

(Just IMHO)

[RebelOne]

31. I'd buy it if I could afford to.

I have owned Fords for the past 20 years. The only other car I would buy would be a Cadillac. I did own a Cadillac Cimarron at one time. I called it my baby Cadillac because I couldn't afford a grown-up one.

[Courtesy Flush]

32. Chevy teased with cool-looking Volt concept

But when the Volt finally hit the market, it looked like every other car on the road.


Don't get excited over concepts.

[Odin2005]

34. very cool, but the marketing-speak maks me gag.

"design DNA"? ROFL.