Geneva show: Ford concept hints at 2010 Focus

FORD has given a glimpse of its next generation of small cars, including the 2010 Focus destined for Australian production in 2011.

The Iosis MAX concept car unveiled at this week’s Geneva motor show also lifts the wraps from Ford’s new EcoBoost four-cylinder engine range, which is said to provide a fuel efficiency gain of about 20 per cent over a standard engine of similar capacity.

While the Geneva concept is thought to most closely resemble the next Ford C-Max mini people-mover that has until now been confined to Europe, the new-look front is expected to also reflect the design cues of the closely related Focus.

Ford Australia is planning to build the new Focus alongside the Falcon and Territory at its Broadmeadows plant from 2011 – about one year after GM Holden starts making a rival small car based on GM’s new Delta II platform at Elizabeth, South Australia, in late 2010.

The Australian-built Ford Focus will be exported to New Zealand and South Africa, as well as “significant” additional markets to be announced closer to 2011.

Because the Focus, C-Max and Kuga compact SUV all share the same platform, there is potential for Ford Australia to expand beyond the already announced Focus production.

The Geneva show car is Ford’s third Iosis concept in recent years, with the first two providing styling clues to the current Mondeo and Kuga.

While the latest Iosis – the MAX – is clearly a concept car, with extravagant sliding door-opening mechanisms and other fanciful touches, it has Ford’s kinetic styling theme that most observers at Geneva believe will be applied to most new Fords, including the Focus.

The nose of the Iosis MAX has a clear family resemblance with the new Ford Fiesta, which also was penned in Ford of Europe’s design studios under the kinetic styling theme.

The front is dominated by a trapezoidal lower grille that is now a key part of the Ford brand identity and said to be a feature of the Focus design. For the first time, however, the grille features three horizontal chrome-rimmed bars.

Ford describes the Iosis MAX as a Multi Activity Vehicle (MAV). Ford of Europe’s executive design director Martin Smith said it marks the next stage in the evolution of kinetic design that is expected to be applied to 85 per cent of the Ford range.

“Our designers have stretched themselves beyond the two previous Iosis concepts, and have applied kinetic design form language to an MAV,” he said.

Mr Smith said the car showcased a number of affordable engine technologies that “will make a difference to the environment and our customers’ pockets”.

He said that although the Iosis MAX was not a forerunner to a specific production vehicle, it clearly highlighted how kinetic design was evolving and could be applied with stunning results to all vehicles in the Ford portfolio.

The C-pillars, with their highly original ‘flying buttress’ design, act as spoilers, channeling airflow to the tailgate glass for aerodynamic efficiency.

A two-piece tailgate design allows the tailgate to be fully opened in restricted space.

Inside, the whole console surface acts as a touch-screen to control the vehicle’s systems. Information such as sat-nav instructions or details of an incoming phone call is displayed on the console when required using projectors mounted beneath the surface.

The Iosis MAX also heralds the arrival of Ford’s fuel-efficient EcoBoost technology in four cylinder form.

Already introduced in the US in a new V6 for vehicles such as the Taurus SHO, EcoBoost uses direct injection and turbocharging to deliver better fuel economy from a smaller engine capacity.

The Iosis MAX engine is a 132kW 1.6-litre petrol engine with idle-stop technology, intelligent alternator and six-speed double-clutch automated manual gearbox.

Ford says the engine, which delivers CO2 emissions of 125g/km, will be progressively introduced to Ford’s European product range from early 2010.

Ford Australia is highly likely to introduce a version of the engine on its locally built Focus, as GM Holden has foreshadowed similar technology on its new yet-to-be-named small car to be built in Australia.

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