Ford has issued the following press release:
Ford is revealing more about its vision for a new global small car family at Auto Guangzhou. Ford today revealed the second Verve Concept ’ a four-door notchback.
The dynamic Ford Verve Concept four-door notchback is a star of the fifth annual Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition. The fact that Ford staged the global reveal of the four-door Verve Concept at Guangzhou signals the importance of Asia in Ford’s global plans.
Sporty and coupe-like, the Verve Concept notchback provides a very clear vision about Ford’s future small car design direction. The three-door hatchback Verve Concept was a star of the recent Frankfurt Motor Show in Europe, and it too is also under the spotlights at Guangzhou.
Ford will unveil the third and last Verve Concept in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
’With this new four-door Verve Concept, the picture of Ford’s big plans for the small-car segment is becoming clearer,’ said Phil Spender, Chief Operation Officer of Ford Motor (China) Ltd. ’Our future small car is being developed as a global car. It will be designed in Europe, engineered in Germany and manufactured globally. These two Verve Concepts demonstrate how confident Ford is in its direction and its appeal to consumers here in China.’
Ford’s European design team created the Verve Concepts, which successfully apply Ford’s kinetic design philosophy for the first time to a small car. The two Verve Concepts clearly display a European flair and premium touches not expected in this segment.
Once all have been revealed, the trilogy of Verve concept cars will provide an advanced indication of Ford’s design vision well in advance of the production models. This approach is similar to the way in which the iosis Concept preceded the new Ford Mondeo. — 2009 Ford Flex crossover.
European Design
Side by side in Guangzhou, the two Verve Concepts bring the latest wave of Ford’s kinetic design to the heart of Asia. Their colours are inspired by the world of fashion; the regal frosted grape of the new Verve Concept four-door notchback complements the bold magenta of the Frankfurt three-door hatchback like a well-coordinated ensemble.
’First it was the hatchback and now a very exciting and dynamic notchback,’ said the father of kinetic design, Martin Smith, Ford’s Executive Director of European Design. ’Looking at these concepts together, you can just imagine how exciting the successor to the Ford Fiesta will be when it hits the market.’
The two Verve Concepts share a distinctive 18-inch, 12-spoke, two-piece alloy wheel design that lends more drama to the car. The wheels have a precise, jewel-like feel to their design. Both Verve Concepts’ are wearing low-profile tyres featuring a sidewall stripe that complements the exterior body colour.
Exploring the Inner Kinetic
The interior of the Verve Concept family is as dramatic as is its exterior. From boldly shaped surfaces and confident use of rich colours and enticing materials, the Verve Concept has a playful sense of sophistication and fashion. It also pioneers new technologies that someday may be a production reality.
As Ford designers explored the possibilities for a future Ford small car, the wide latitude they were given helped them focus on applying the tenets of kinetic design to the interior. The result is a Verve Concept which explores a completely new direction for small cars. The architecture of the instrument panel with sensuous curves and full shapes make a typical, upright centre stack design seem distinctly old fashioned.
’This is a quantum leap in bringing kinetic design into interior design,’ said Niko Vidakovic, Chief Interior Designer, Ford of Europe. ’This type of visual innovation, linking the form language of the interior so strongly with the exterior, is something we believe no other company is doing.’ — all-new Mazda2 sedan world premiere.
Prominent, full forms characterises the upper instrument panel, created by the hands of Ford interior designer Tiago Diaz and supervisor Ernst Reim. Full surfaces and flowing contours on interior elements ’ especially the instrument panel and door panels ’ visually echo the exterior’s kinetic design. These elements combine to envelop the vehicle’s occupants and to contrast with the airiness provided by the panoramic glass roof.
New Aesthetic Inspired by Mobile Phones
The Verve Concept was designed for the generation that grew up with mobile phones.
The centre stack is a principal feature of the interior. Aesthetically, it follows the contours of the instrument panel, rising to frame a large-screen Ford Convers+ system incorporated in the upper dash. The Ford Convers+ system incorporated in the Verve Concept is the latest-generation Human Machine Interface (HMI) recently introduced in the Ford Mondeo. This technology alone indicates the level of sophistication incorporated in this small-car vision.
Functionally, a key element of the centre stack design is the decoupling of the traditional elements of the entertainment system ’ the screen, control elements and the electronics. Separating these elements allowed designers to place controls and buttons for optimal ergonomic positioning in a design that resembles the logic of a mobile phone.
This new approach enables the Verve Concepts to introduce a completely new aesthetic ’ a new approach to the form and function of interacting with underlying technologies. The unique architecture also embraces other key systems including navigation and in-car phone controls.
Every button and switch was crafted with the kind of attention to detail that characterises good mobile phone designs. This system philosophy gives the centre stack a different feel than that of traditional automotive switchgear. — New Fiat Uno Mille small car evolution.
“A new generation of buyers raised with mobile electronic devices would feel right at home in this new automotive interior, one that exceeds the standards typical in the small-car segment,” said Vidakovic.
Verve Concept’s heating/ventilation controls ’ highlighted in a lozenge shape at the midpoint of the centre stack ’ feature large twist dials.
The centre stack structure flows into a centre console to provide storage areas, including a tray for a mobile phone or MP3 player as well as a large area near the handbrake for a purse or shoulder bag.
’The centre stack is like the art gallery of the car,’ Vidakovic said. ’The combination of the sculpture of the upper instrument panel, the rich interior colours and materials and the jewellery-like brightwork is very distinctive.’
The primary gauges ’ speedometer and rev counter ’ are uniquely framed by binocular-shaped, short tunnels of brightwork which complement the centre stack. In effect, they contrast beautifully with the rich interior colours.
Verve Concept’s steering wheel ’ its crash pad, sculpted of soft-feel material and framed in brightwork ’ provides a touch-and-see centrepiece for the Ford oval badge. The left and right spokes of the three-spoke design incorporate the toggle controls for the HMI system.
