Next-gen Falcon to present Iosis look

IT MAY look like a concept car, but the Ford Iosis revealed at Frankfurt last week shows not only a new design direction for Ford but also aspects of the next-generation Falcon due out in 2007.

Ford’s group vice president and chief creative officer, J Mays, confirmed to GoAuto at Frankfurt that the next-generation Falcon would use elements of the Iosis, including its dramatic front-end treatment.

"What we’re looking at right now is that Ford of Europe and Ford Asia-Pacific are working a lot more closely together right now, as to a certain extent they are with Ford of America," Mr Mays said.

"And we’re all sharing lessons learned about future design DNA.

"Will this be a direct reflection on what the Falcon looks like? No. But there are elements of this that you would find in the front end of the vehicle and certain aspects of it."Mr Mays (below) said buyers could expect the next-generation Falcon to be "more subtle" in its overall design approach than the current car.

Ford describes the Iosis as a "saloon that thinks it’s a coupe".

Ford of Europe’s executive design director, Martin Smith, said the SAV Concept Ford unveiled at the Geneva show earlier this year was the first step "in an exciting journey for Ford design".

"Iosis is the design statement that defines the future of the Ford brand in Europe," he said.

Foremost among its key Ford DNA elements is what the design team refers to as the "inverse trapezoid" air intake below the chromed grille, an element that could find its way on to the Falcon.

For European Fords, expect the upper and lower grille graphic representation to find its way on future cars, according to design manager, Dominico Tonello.

Visually, the Iosis is a four-seater sedan with low-slung coupe proportions and a muscular profile. It boasts 20-inch wheels milled from solid aluminium billets with a contrasting polished and anodised finish.

According to the designers, the pronounced wheel-arch lip can trace its origins back to the first-generation Focus seen in 1998.

The car’s profile is strongly defined. The shoulder line runs from the dramatic vents behind the front wheels, which also link the lower body line. This strong lower crease runs the length of the car and fades into the rear wheel arch.

The twin front and rear gull-wing doors, made from lightweight carbon fibre and powered by electric motors, allow easy access to the roomy interior thanks to the absence of a B-pillar.

At the front, the steeply raked louvred-grille flows into a defined, raised bonnet line that’s becoming a feature of many European cars.

Instead of conventional rear-view mirrors, the Iosis has small cameras mounted on each front door, complemented by a rear-facing bumper-mounted camera.