- New Ford Verve small car concept showcases the style, technology, premium
materials and more substantial content that will set it apart from other
offerings when Ford's new small cars go on sale in North America in 2010.
- Four-door Verve is designed to appeal to 'Millennials,' the fastest-
growing segment of the population, as well as their parents - with
sophisticated technology and expressive design demanded by globally savvy
customers.
- A European three-door Verve concept also is being displayed at the North
American International Auto Show to test North American reaction to an
alternative bodystyle.
- In the U.S., small-car sales are predicted to increase by more than 25
percent through 2012. Small cars and crossovers are the only vehicles with
projected near-term growth in the U.S.
DETROIT, Jan. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F)
is revealing the Verve, a concept vehicle that makes clear the vision for
the new small cars Ford soon will introduce in North America.
The Verve is bold and sophisticated -- to help it clearly stand out
from other small cars on the road. Ford is building on decades of small car
leadership in Europe as it develops new small cars for North America to
appeal to increasingly savvy customers who value technology, design and
fuel efficiency.
Both four- and three-door Verve body styles are being unveiled at the
North American International Auto Show in Detroit, as curtain-raisers to a
new global family of small cars set to debut in Europe and Asia beginning
later this year and in North America in 2010. The four-door is the basis
for the production vehicle that will be sold in North America. The European
three- door is being shown to test market reaction to the bodystyle -- as a
possible additional small car for the North American market.
The Verve concept has been developed with Ford's new global product
development strategy that better leverages the company's global strengths.
Globally, Ford is building on its European small-car expertise to stake a
bigger claim in this critically important segment. Ford's celebrated small
car lineup in Europe includes such top-sellers as the Ford Focus, Fiesta
and Ka.
"We're looking at every aspect of what's defined Ford as a small-car
leader in Europe and working to build on this expertise in driving dynamics
and design across a global family of Ford cars that are as exciting to
drive as they are to look at," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice
president, Global Product Development.
"The Verve concept family provides a vision for a new world standard
for quality, design and comfort in the small car segment," Kuzak added.
"These concepts demonstrate how leveraging our global strengths can yield
attractive benefits for our customers in markets around the world."
Those benefits include a bold, modern, design along with sophisticated
electronics, premium materials, surprising functional space and a fuel-
efficient 4-cylinder engine -- all previously unseen in this segment.
Small Car Popularity Skyrockets in North America
Momentum in small-car sales is outpacing overall industry growth
worldwide. Globally, small car sales have grown from 23 million units in
2002 to an estimated 38 million in 2012. That's nearly 45 percent of the
total expected 85-million unit industry, a level never before achieved. In
the U.S., sales of small cars likely will grow by 800,000, or 25 percent --
to a record 3.4 million units by 2012.
In fact, small cars and crossovers are the only vehicles with projected
near-term growth in the U.S.
Driving the growth in the U.S. market is a group of young people aged
13 to 28 years -- dubbed "Millennials." Today, this group stands 1.7
billion strong worldwide and will represent 28 percent of the total U.S.
population by 2010.
As a group, Millennials embrace eco-friendliness, stay in constant
touch using modern technology and demand best-in-class products from around
the world. This group will grow from representing 19 percent of the driving
public in 2004 to amassing 28 percent in 2010.
Every day, 11,000 Millennials in the U.S. come of driving age. When
it's time to buy their first car, nearly half of this group shops the
small-car segment.
"Millennials will be the defining group of customers in the future,
driving all types of consumer trends," said Jim Farley, Ford's group vice
president, Marketing and Communications. "Ford's European-based cars are a
great fit for this generation of drivers, who have grown up with the
Internet and mobile phones as necessities, not luxuries -- believing that
bigger isn't necessarily better, precision is everything and technology
rules."
Verve Redefines Small-Car Segment
The Verve concept demonstrates that largesse is no longer the price of
admission for a delivering a premium driving experience.
"The Ford global design team remembered, not so fondly, the econo-boxes
of the 1970s and created the Verve concept as a vision of just how good a
small car can be," said J Mays, Ford's group vice president of Design and
chief creative officer. "Verve aims to 'right' North American buyers'
earlier small-car experiences by offering a product that changes customers'
views of small cars from 'cheap' to chic -- and from affordable to
desirable."
The Verve concept is built off of a design architecture flexible enough
to yield three distinctive vehicles that are each recognizably Ford. The
flexible design architecture also allows Ford to adapt quickly to rapidly
changing customer tastes and will help the company enter new markets
utilizing regionally tailored products off of a common platform.
The North American Verve sedan, painted in Rouge Red, has been modified
slightly from its European and Asian counterparts -- most notably in its
front fascia.
Designers created a bold, three-bar graphic with a Ford blue oval in
the upper grille opening and downsized the lower, inverted trapezoidal
grille. Two unique LED side markers flank the front fascia.
What carries through all three global concepts are Verve's
sophisticated design language and its inspiration: A modern world of
fashion and cosmetics, echoed in the Verve's rich colors and distinctive,
high quality materials.
The hood sculpture is toned and athletic but not overtly muscular. This
form language combines with the more pronounced, rearward-stretching
headlamps to give the face of the Ford Verve concept a friendly, open and
inviting personality. The prominent headlamps feature two projector beams
and a light- emitting diode (LED) array.
From the side view, the concept looks energetic and purposeful. Its
profile is emphasized by the pillarless side window shape and the upper
contour that mirrors the body's curving upper contour line. This extends
rearward from the angular A-pillar to marry the sculpted,
semi-high-mounted, LED tail lamps sculpted to become part of the fullness
of the body shape. These elements blend cohesively together and support the
vehicle's panoramic glass roof.
The 18-inch, 12-spoke, two-piece alloy wheel design lends even more
drama to the car, punctuated with a subtle sidewall stripe that complements
the rich body color.
Other accents on the vehicle include a discreet chrome bar in the door
handles and similar use of brushed aluminum on the lower grille surround,
the rear license plate surround and on the lower edge of the front fog
lamps.
Technologically Inspired
Verve's unique architecture embraces key electronic systems such as
navigation, a dynamic sound system and in-car phone controls.
Aesthetically, the Verve interior follows the curves and contours of the
instrument panel shape.
Functionally, the center stack design decouples traditional elements of
the entertainment system -- the screen, control elements and the
electronics. Separating these features allowed designers to position
controls for optimal ergonomic positioning in a design that resembles the
logic of a mobile phone.
The center console includes a tray for a mobile phone or MP3 player as
well as a large bin for a purse near the handbrake. The center stack is a
unique combination of sculpture, colors, materials and jewelry-like
brightwork.
The concept's climate controls, highlighted in a lozenge shape at the
midpoint of the center stack, feature large twist dials that were inspired
by the sculpture found in high-quality power showers. The primary gauges --
speedometer and tachometer -- are uniquely framed by binocular-shaped,
short tunnels of brightwork that complement the center stack and contrast
the rich interior colors like a fashion accessory.
Ford Verve concept's steering wheel is another work of sculpture. Its
center section, sculpted of soft-feel material and framed in brightwork,
provides a rich tactile and visual centerpiece for the Ford oval.
"Customers in this segment demand the best," says Mays. "While young in
age, they are sophisticated, globally connected and demand the best the
world has to offer, be it consumer electronics, fashion or automobiles. The
Verve concept shows people that when it comes to style and sophistication,
Ford can compete -- and even outshine -- the best in the business."
Ford: European Small-Car Know-How
Driven by a new global product development system that leverages Ford's
global strengths, Ford designers in Dunton, England, and Cologne, Germany,
developed the common small-car platform based on the converging tastes of
global consumers.
Ford maintains small-car leadership in Europe with vehicles set apart
by their world-class driving dynamics and dynamic designs.
With more than five million vehicles produced in Europe since it was
launched in 1998, the Ford Focus is one of the only vehicles in the world
to be named "Car of the Year" both in Europe and in North America. It is
Ford's perennial top seller in Europe and, in 2007, was Europe's
top-selling car in its class.
The Ford Fiesta -- which is smaller than the Focus -- debuted in 1976,
and it has sold more than 12 million units in Europe.
The iconic Ford Ka redefined the small city car sector in Europe with
its eye-catching and enduring design and fun-to-drive character when it was
introduced more than 11 years ago. Sales remain strong -- with more than 1
million cars sold.
The European Ford Fusion -- introduced in 2002 -- increased its sales
by approximately 19 percent in 2007 versus the previous year and remains in
the European top three sellers in its segment.
"We're known in Europe for uniquely executed small cars, and this is
the perfect time to bring this expertise to buyers in North America," Kuzak
said.
The Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in
Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets
across six continents. With about 250,000 employees and about 100 plants
worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include
Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company
provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more
information regarding Ford's products, please visit http://www.ford.com.
Verve Sedan Concept Specifications
Overall length 145.35 in.
Wheelbase 97.99 in.
Overall width 65.12 in.
Overall height at curb 54.33 in.
Track width
Front 58.03 in.
Rear 57.32 in.
Front Overhang 32.05 in.
Rear Overhang 57.32
Headroom
Front 37.8 in.
Second Row 35.83 in.
Legroom
Front 42.09 in.
Second Row 32.76 in.
Powertrain
Fuel efficient 4-cylinder engine
SOURCE Ford Motor Company
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Related links:
http://www.ford.com
CONTACT:
Charlotte Fisher, +1-313-323-7045,
cfishe60@ford.com, or Marisa Bradley, +1-313-845-3971,
bradl31@ford.com, both of Ford Motor Company
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