“One Ford” is increasingly being put into action, and it is paying dividends to Ford with increased profits and sales. For the first time since its introduction, the Focus is the same car in the United States as Europe.”One Ford” is realigning models and designing core models to be sold in all international markets. This has made introducing a unifying global design theme important.
The Iosis Concept from a few years back was introduced to preview Ford’s “Kinetic” design language. However, implementation of design strategies was haphazard; Ford North America pursued a divergent design centered around a bold, brash look and a three-bar grille. That look won’t work everywhere, and the Ford Evos Concept premieres Ford’s “first truly new global design language.”
Evos is the new face of Ford. Like Kinetic, the look is toned down in comparison to North American Ford design; goodbye to the three bar grille. A trapezoidal grille features instead.
The Evos is meant to evoke a more premium appearance. It isn’t particularly innovative or groundbreaking; we see hints of Aston Martin (and that is no bad thing). On the Evos Concept the look works beautifully; everything flows and surfaces are done very well with a simplistic purity.
Simply put, we like the Evos. The question is how this will translate over to Ford production models. No doubt the details and lines work on the Evos, but we’ll see if production cars designed in the mould of the Evos will manage to pull it off as effectively. It is a tall order. Hopefully Ford will be able to create the right balance of beauty and distinctiveness.
Summing it up, J Mays, Ford group vice president and Design and Creative officer, says that “We wanted the Ford Evos Concept to give a clear message about where Ford design is heading – shaping vehicles that are fun to drive, have a strong premium visual appeal, and above all, are stunningly beautiful.”
Ford has been pushing the envelope with technology recently, and the company looks to continue that leading technology position. The Evos Concept explores the possibilities that can be had with a vehicle that is connected to the cloud, the driver’s smartphone, and therefore the driver’s habits. There is no information on when the first vehicle inspired by the Evos Concept will debut. There is word however that the Evos could be a pretty close (minus fanciful elements) preview of a new Ford coupe on its way. Stay tuned!
