Ford Motor Company Global Auto Shows

At the 2008 North American International Auto Show, Ford executives talked up new products like the 2009 F-150, the 2009 Ford Flex, the Explorer America Concept, and the Verve concept. While icons like the F-series and the Mustang are as prominent as ever, words like “sustainability,” and “populist” signal a new direction toward greater fuel efficiency and the small car segment.

At the forefront is EcoBoost engine technology. In the near future, Ford plans to roll out a 500,000 vehicles a year with EcoBoost engines. Ford’s Explorer American Concept exemplifies this technology. “This is a populist approach,” says Jim Farley, Ford’s Group VP, Marketing and Communications. “We’re going to reduce emissions by 20% in millions of vehicles, not hundreds.” The key, according to Farley, is making technology affordable so that it will have an impact on a much larger scale than “cars with technologies that are available only to people who can afford them.”

Ford was vocal about being a global company eager to bring its success overseas with small cars to the North American market. Case in point: the Verve concept “We invest in iconic products. We want to make a distinctive small car that is as distinctive as the Mustang or the Explorer.” Stalwarts like the Mustangs and F-150s shared the stage with potential icons like the Verve Concept. Auto industry watchers are eager to see where this new direction will take Ford.