A "car you can bond with"? The Ford Start concept makes its American debut.
Looking a bit like the love child of a crossover and the Volkswagen Beetle, the Start concept isn’t quite the sort of product you’d immediately expect from Ford, but the automaker is giving serious thought to putting it into production, says Ford’s global design chief, J Mays.
The Ford Start prototype is making its first appearance in the U.S., this week after a global debut at last month’s Beijing Motor Show.
The rounded coupe design of the minicar is quite a bit different from anything in the Ford line-up, though not entirely unexpected, say several of those familiar with design chief Mays – who helped develop the current version of the VW Beetle.
The decision to launch the Start at the Chinese show wasn’t coincidental. That market is now the world’s largest and Ford is playing a game of catch-up with key competitors like Volkswagen and General Motors. Though luxury models have been strong sellers in China, there’s growing demand for more economical models – and the command-based government is pressing makers to improve fuel economy, which means smaller products, possibly like the Ford minicar concept.
As shown, the prototype would use a 1.0-liter version of Ford’s high-mileage EcoBoost engine.
The cabin is more up-market than the traditional Ford econocar, and “was create(d) with warmth and charm,” said Mays, describing Start as “a car that you can bond with.”