Ford Motor Company Global Auto Shows

In the early morning hours on the day before the 2007 New York Auto Show opened for the first press day, a crew of 1200 was busy setting up “We work around the clock—every hour available to us—but it’s always a photo finish for press day,” says John O’Connell, Chief Operating Officer of Freeman Convention Services.

It’s no wonder. Planning for the NY Auto Show starts in December, but the actual setting up takes only five days. By contrast, the Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS) takes up to ten weeks to build. “It’s controlled chaos, “ says electrician John McMartin. “You need to bring your ‘A’ team and deal with things fast.” That includes 150 truckloads of freight, and 50 suppliers. “I have seventeen fifty-three foot trucks full of equipment,” says Adrian Basset Chief Electrician. “It’s a challenge, but we want it to be a success.”

The visitors to the show only see the finished product of the frantic work before the press days but that’s fine with the crew. “The people who build and drive these cars are my neighbors, my family,” Basset says. “For me, it’s like, anything I can do to help.”

The comments have been pouring in since Ford launched the All-New 2009 Ford Flex last week at the New York Auto show. Ford designers called it a polarizing car, and according to what you’ve been posting they were right: it’s got people talking.

Erin Johnson writes: “Well the first time I saw the All New Ford Flex, I thought to myself, Man, what a vehicle that is.” “This is the kind of vehicle I have been CRAVING!” says James Scherrer.

Others are more critical in their opinions: College Student in AL calls the Flex “a cardboard box on wheels.” James Barone writes: “The exterior and interior look good but not groundbreaking.”

The design of the new Flex has sparked a lot of thought. Marc says it’s a “good looking ride.” andrewscott says that the Ford Flex “has revived my hope in American car companies to … design a truly unique and cool vehicle.” David G. Pollard thinks “It has some true American character to it!!

But, one of the hottest topics of conversations revolves around the name – the Ford Flex. Many preferred “Fairlane” (the name of the concept car from which the Flex takes its inspiration) and some find “Flex” confusing. Oakville Employee writes “Flex implies Flexible fuel system eg. E85, diesel, Hybrid etc.” Everyone has a suggestion – Falcon, Cruze, Discovery, Country Squire, Excursion (sorry folks…that one’s already taken…). Wayne says, “it could be worse… they could have called it the SCOOTER”. In reality, Ford responds that the name ‘Flex’ reflects this vehicle’s capability and style, and was the product of extensive consumer research. In the end, the excitement over the design trumps all. As Lee says, “fortunately the product is so amazing that you could have resurrected the name Edsel and it will sell.”

Love it or hate it, it’s got people talking. Billy Balog captures the sentiments best: “Given the infectious buzz so far, it is safe to say Ford is back. Both the interior and exterior intrigue me.”

If you got to see the Flex at the New York Auto Show—or even if you’ve just read about it—tell us what you think!

IAG Research honored Ford Motor Company with the award for “Most Effective Automotive Ad—Non Luxury” for the Ford Escape Hybrid 30 second-spot that debuted during the 2006 Super Bowl. The award was accepted at a ceremony during the New York Auto Show by Barry Redler, Ford SUV group marketing manager. “The Super Bowl spot established Ford’s efforts to highlight one of its most innovative products, the Escape Hybrid,” said Redler. The ad celebrated the environmental benefits of the Ford Escape Hybrid, still the cleanest and most fuel-efficient SUV in the world.

The Escape Hybrid is just one of many Ford vehicles moving in a green direction, and people are noticing. With the launch of the 2008 Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable this summer, every sedan Ford and Mercury will sell in California, New York, Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts will be available with a “green” powertrain option.
The Ford Focus, Fusion I-4 and Taurus will be PZEVs, or partial zero emissions vehicles, as will the Mercury Milan I-4 and Mercury Sable. That makes their tailpipe emissions as clean—or cleaner—than many hybrids. The Ford Crown Victoria and the Mercury Grand Marquis, meanwhile, are E-85 capable in all 50 states.

The Lincoln MKR Concept vehicle’s engine is flex-fuel capable, which means the driver has the flexibility to use gasoline, E85, or a combination of the two fuels. At Ford, development of flexible fuel vehicles, and the corresponding development of a biofuel infrastructure, is viewed as an important step toward increased use of biofuels to provide energy security and environmental benefits.

As fuel prices go up and concerns about climate change escalate, alternative fuels and engine types are on the minds of drivers and designers alike.

At the New York Auto Show last week, Peter Birtwhistle, Chief Designer at Mazda Motor Europe, was on hand to talk about the third in the Nagare series of concept cars inspired by Mazda’s new design direction of flow. Unveiled last month in Geneva, the Hakaze joins the Ryuga and the Nagare, which debuted in Los Angeles and Detroit, respectively.

“This is the closest to a production vehicle that we have in the series,” Birtwhistle says. “Compact SUVs like this,” he says of the Hakaze, “might not be what Americans are thinking about right now, but they’d do well in Europe.”

Also on display is the CX-9, a crossover that seats 7 but is designed with sports sedan-inspired performance. Both cars, says Birtwhistle, are meant for drivers as much as passengers. “People want room but not the image,” he says, “They want a sporty car that they’ll enjoy driving. That’s the idea behind the Hakaze. It’s more sporty, less aggressive. I love the attitude.”

Birtwhistle says that he and the other designers at Mazda draw a lot of inspiration from nature. It’s a conscious theme in the Nagare vehicles, but for Birtwhistle, it goes back even further. He started designing cars as a kid and sees a theme emerge in the designs he’s always responded to.

“The young designers today at Mazda are very influenced by nature,” he explains, “and the classic, retro designs—like the E series Jaguar I loved as a kid—take their design cues from nature. People are very comfortable with these shapes because they’re very natural. They keep coming back.”

From the Lincoln Futura (1954), to the Ford MA (2002) to the Ford Airstream (2007), Ford Motor Company concept cars have always left people asking: when are you going to build that thing?

Concept cars are prototype vehicles, created to showcase design, technology or new and innovative automotive concepts. Though the underlying ideas live on, and may eventually make their way into a production vehicle, more often, the extent of their “driving life” is limited to the Auto Show unveiling. Concept cars exist to gauge customer reaction to new designs and materials that may be too expensive or not commercially viable to be fully produced.

The concept car that becomes a production vehicle usually undergoes significant changes before the design is finalized. The biggest concessions are usually to less
expensive materials, and to comply with safety standards and practicality. Often, the concept cars that exist in their “pure” form can find other lives off the road. The Lincoln Futura went on to become the Batmobile in the television series Batman (1966), and Ford’s MA Concept has been exhibited in museums, going on to win the IDSA Silver Industrial Design Excellence Award in 2003.

There are, however, many concept cars that eventually make it to the road as production vehicles, with only slight modifications from their conceptual beginnings. The Lincoln Continental started as a concept car in 1938, and the Ford Probe III (1981) eventually saw life on the streets as the European Ford Sierra and then in the U.S as the Merkur XR4Ti.(1985) Likewise, concept cars can find inspiration in other “non-production” vehicles. The classic GT40 race cars of the 1960’s inspired the GT40 concept (2002), which quickly went into production as the Ford GT (2003).

More recently, the Ford Airstream (2007) concept created a stir on the Auto Show circuit when it was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in 2007, but then so did the Ford Nucleon (1958), a car envisioned to be powered by an on-board nuclear reactor. The Ford Model U (2003) and Messenger (2003), and Ford Fairlane Concept (2005) are still on people’s minds. It remains to be seen whether we’ll see them out on the road in the near future – and more importantly, what will they look like?

The 2007 Auto Show season has seen Ford Motor Company moving more in the direction of crossovers. The Ford Airstream Concept was the futuristic crossover unveiled at the NAIAS in January and on display in New York through April 15. Ford brought back the Taurus name with a sedan and the 7-passenger Taurus X. The Ford Explorer hybrid, which New York magazine called “A nearly perfect city car,” has been in New York City’s taxi fleet since 2005. They will be joined in the crossover space by the all-new 2009 Ford Flex, a vehicle that Mark Fields describes as “a new interpretation of the people mover.”

Ford CEO Alan Mulally sees Ford building more crossovers as providing “more of the products that our customers really want.” The crossover segment is expected to top 3 million units annually by the end of the decade and from 50 offerings to 90, vying with small cars to be the largest US vehicle segment.

Crossovers are at the intersection of trends in the economy and society that have been brewing for years. Couples are starting families later in life, while baby boomers are downsizing their lives and their vehicles. High fuel prices and intense competition are influencing vehicle choices as well. Fields thinks that crossovers like Taurus X and The Ford Flex will make Ford “the defining crossover company this decade, just as we defined SUVs in the ‘90s.” The positive reaction to the Ford Flex, which debuted last week, has been encouraging in a space where Ford wants to be distinctive.

The big story from the 2007 New York Auto Show is the 2009 Ford Flex, and the everyone’s talking about how it looks: it’s a departure for Ford, and Ford’s design team wants to make an impact.

J Mays, Ford’s Group Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, sees the challenge in building a stylish crossover” “Imbuing a seven-passenger vehicle with some emotion a tall order,” he admits, “but The Ford Flex will stand out in a sea of people movers.”

Richard Gresens, Ford’s Chief Designer, NA Design, says that the Flex is a polarizing vehicle, and he likes it that way. “People either love it or they don’t, but it grows in you. A vanilla, ‘oh, it’s nice’ reaction from everyone would be disappointing! That’s not what you want when you take a risk.”

Both Gresens and Anthony Prozzi, Flex interior design manager, were inspired by an American classic. “We took apart the iconic American woody station wagon and modernized it, because this car is for a modern person.” Prozzi says. “We thought of taking the whole family to the beach and looking at the quiet horizon—that was the overall inspiration for the interior.”

J Mays and Mark Fields have said that the Flex is a “game changer” for Ford in the crossover segment, and a big reason for that is a bolder emphasis on design. Mays wants Ford Flex to be “a family vehicle that people really want to drive.”

Prozzi and Mays are on the same page. “Without design,” Prozzi says, “It’s game over.”

DJ Funkmaster Flex was on hand at the 2007 New York Auto Show to unveil the Funkmaster Flex Expedition, a tricked-out version of the Ford Expedition. Flex sees this as Ford’s effort to reach out to a younger market - that loves to customize.

Chip Foose of “Overhaulin’ ” fame could not agree more. His Foose F150 was the end result of a challenge Ford presented to him at last year’s SEMA convention in Las Vegas. “I’d customized the F150 at home that I use every day, but this one is a supercharger,” says Foose. His love of hot rods made it onto the F150. “My inspiration is the heart of hot rodding. Stance is #1, then wheels, tires, and graphics.”

Car lovers want their cars to reflect them. “It’s like the 1964 Mustang,” Flex says. “People loved the options. People are the same way now. When you put an air freshener in your car, you’re customizing it. The wheels and tires are the extravagant part of it, but people want their cars to reflect who they are.”

Both Flex and Foose see themselves as part of a growing customization culture. “Look, I’m just the messenger,” Flex says “I take inspiration from everything that’s going on, not just what I like.” Flex credits Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally for “getting it—[Ford] liked my vehicles and we knew we could work together.”

Foose also sees a future in collaborating with Ford, and has new inspiration: “I’d love to get my hands on the new Ford Flex!” Foose says. “I need to talk to J [Mays] about that….”

Steve Mattin, Volvo’s senior vice president and design director, unveiled the new XC70 at the 2007 New York Auto Show on Wednesday. First launched in 1996, the XC70 introduced the cross-country concept, and this latest generation of the XC70 maintains its tough and capable attitude while adding a dimension of luxury into the mix. He compared it to the XC60 concept car unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January, calling both cars “a partner for urban life” that can also get you to your destination.

Mattin also announced that the XC30—a car he described as “a car of free will” because of the many options and accessories available—would start at $22,700. The XC line will soon be expanded with the new XC60. The three models in the XC series are intended to attract the car buyer who wants a functional, versatile, rugged car…but also a little but of luxury.

Describing the XC70 as a “winning, capable” car, Anne Belec, president of Volvo Cars North America, announced that the Volvo S80 was named Automundo’s 2007 Car of the Year.

With the the very fist Volvo sedan—the 1927 PV4 “Jakob”—occupying a stand as part of Volvo’s 80th anniversary, Mattin and Belec talked about Volvo’s heritage, with “safety being foremost in our DNA.” In the background a reel of Volvo ads from decades past played —showing progressively sleeker Volvos being crash-tested, driving through enormous snow banks, and hauling Scandinavian children—Volvo’s 80th anniversary celebration got underway.

The blogs have been buzzing, and now it’s official: Ford’s latest crossover, the 2009 Ford Flex, was unveiled this morning at the 2007 New York International Auto Show. Setting out to redefine the modern American family vehicle, the Flex—bringing to production the 2005 Ford Fairlane Concept —is a full sized crossover that builds on the success of the new Ford Edge.

Ford Flex’s designer, Richard Gresen, thinks that the Flex is even more daring than the 2005 Ford Fairlane concept. “In a lot of ways the production car takes the concept car to another level,” he says. “We wanted to stay as close as possible to the concept vehicle. It’s bold. It’s something we haven’t done with a lot of our cars, but we really pushed it with this one.”

Peter Horbury, executive director Design, the Americas, agrees:
“Flex is following in the tire tracks, so to speak, of Ford vehicles like the Taurus, Explorer, and Mustang. It’s the next iconic Ford. It shatters today’s image of people movers.”

“The Ford Flex has the power to move people emotionally as well as physically,” says J Mays, group vice president of Design and chief creative officer. “This crossover has been created for people who know it’s the journey—not the destination—that matters most.”

Ford Flex goes on sale in summer 2008. Gresen is excited to see what the public’s reaction will be. “We wanted to give people a sense of pride driving this vehicle. We want them to look at it and say, ‘I want to drive this!’”