FORD Builds a Gullwing car...

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The 'gullwing' Ford
Richard Blackburn
August 31, 2011

Blue Oval reveals image-changing fastback concept.

Ford has unveiled a stunning fastback, coupe-like concept car with four "gullwing" doors ahead of the upcoming Frankfurt motor show.

The concept, which looks like a miniature version of the Aston Martin Rapide, adds to speculation that the Blue Oval will release an image-building niche vehicle based on the Focus platform.

The company is describing the Evos Concept as a pointer to its new global design language, but it also appears to hint at a future production model.

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The company's head of global product development Derrick Kuzak hosed down speculation the car would see production, describing it as merely a showcase of future design and technology.

"While you will never see this car on the road, the next generation of Ford products around the world will display many of the distinctive design ideas and advanced technologies it showcases."

But Ford's boss for small cars, Gunnar Herrmann recently told Drive the company was working on an image-maker for the brand.

A Focus coupe has been rumoured and Hermann says the car will be "something which I think is not available right now in the non-premium segment."

Four-door cars with coupe-like profiles are all the rage in the premium end of the segment, with examples including Mercedes-Benz's CLS, Audi's A5 and A7 and Aston Martin's Rapide.

Hermann says the new Ford is "really very unique".

"We're looking for an image vehicle. It will have a fixed roof ... [but] it is really out of the box, I guess, even for our competition.

''It will be pretty cool. It's not necessarily for enthusiasts; it's more for those characters who want to be seen in a cool car. It's more stylish, certainly linked to a certain degree in the performance, but the prime objective is really to be a demonstration of personality and style.''

The model is believed to be at least two years away, which makes the Evos concept a likely forerunner to a production model.

Aside from new styling cues, including an aggressive trapezoidal grille, bulging bonnet and small slit-like front headlights, the Evos also showcases Ford's latest on-board entertainment and communication technology.

Ford says the new technology aims to create a "personal cloud" of information for the driver, with seamless sharing of information between the home, office and car.

The "cloud" will house information such as the driver's work schedule and local traffic or weather conditions. It will also store information about the physical state and workload of the driver. If it senses the driver is tired and the road conditions are difficult it will simplify the car's instrument panel to display only necessary gauge information and switch the driver's connected smartphone to "Do Not Disturb" mode to allow them to focus on the road.

The Evos Concept is powered by a lithium-ion plug-in hybrid (PHEV) engine and motor that chooses either electric or hybrid mode depending on the chosen route. If the car enters an EV-only zone in the city, it will run on electricity-only, then switch to hybrid when that is the more efficient option, such as on the freeway.
http://brisbanetimes.drive.com.au/mo...831-1jl0b.html

[EFFalcon]

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http://fordforums.com.au/showthread....highlight=evos

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Originally Posted by EFFalcon

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http://fordforums.com.au/showthread....highlight=evos

err...done it again..!!!!