Thursday, September 15, 2011

GreenBkk.com Auto | CONCEPTCAR: Ford's future looks

CONCEPTCAR: Ford's future looks

- The web says it's a modern-day Capri...


Capri? Oh, we'd surely like to think Ford is planning to revive the old days of that classic coupe. Hey, so many brands are doing the same _ Mini, Fiat, Citroen DS, Abarth, American pony cars and so forth.

But with this Evos (don't by mistake pronounce it Vios, OK?) there are hardly any design cues harking back to the Capri. Take a minute or so and relish these pictures Ford has provided to the media.

And if you look into Ford's history of coupes from the '90s, there were many that didn't wear the Capri badge. You had monikers like Probe (what a name), Cougar or Puma. And the last name, albeit being used on a CC coupe/cabriolet was Focus Vignale.

Bet a quid Ford won't revive the Capri.

- You're on. But what else could it be then?

According to Ford, the Evos is an evolution of the brand's Kinetic design philosophy which would be seen in most future Fords. Of all the existing models, the Mondeo mid-size family car is the oldest in its current generation, so it could be the first Ford to get the sleek looks of the Evos.

The Evos becomes the latest concept car to feature outlandish doors that open gullwing-style like in the Mercedes-Benz SLS.

It appears that designers love creating items that hardly have the chance of making it to the production in mass-market cars. Remember the Peugeot HX1 concept featured in Life last Friday? It was, literally speaking, the hundredth show car to get unconventional doors.


The Evos concept car takes the brands’s design philosophy to the next level

- The cabin also looks so outer space...

Yup, that's business as usual for concepts deemed as "design exercises". However, Ford says that elements like digital instrument display and a huge touch-screen are practical features for future cars to encompass various telemetry and improve interface efficiency.

And since you might be wondering, the Evos comes with a 2.0-litre petrol/electric hybrid with plug-in capability _ that's the current trend for tech _ which is actually the one that will appear in the pending C-Max Energi, a rival for the Toyota Prius.

Having said that, the most crucial aspect of the Evos that needs to be monitored is the exterior design.


- What about a coupe for this decade?

That's quite likely because Ford doesn't have a 2+2 offering after the Focus Vignale expired. And since the Evos is a front-wheel-drive car, it could form the basis of a coupe derivative for the Focus, or even the next Mondeo.

The only front-drive coupes available in the C/D mass-market segment are the Hyundai Veloster, Kia Koup and Volkswagen Scirocco (it's more a hatchback, though).

Credit: Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com)

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