2011 Ford Evos Concept: The Next Evolution of Ford Design

Slated to make its public debut at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany, the Ford Evos Concept showcases the future of Ford design in a striking four-seat fastback that introduces a new, global design language for the automaker. It’s an important next step in the company’s “One Ford” product plan, which already has been successful in helping to integrate Ford’s U.S. and global vehicle lineups.

From a design standpoint, according to J Mays, Ford’s vice president of design and chief creative officer, this allows the company’s stylists to spend more time working on the details that add a sense of “premium-ness” to a vehicle and less time worrying about differentiating different models for different markets.

“The momentum of Ford’s global product plan is building fast, and this new design DNA provides a clear direction for a whole new generation of models,” said Mays. “We believe that the new generation of buyers around the world has higher expectations for a more premium design language in all products. This understanding of the consumer played an important role in shaping this fresh design DNA.”

This new focus on premium design will be a core feature of the next generation of Ford products and is exemplified in the Evos in six key ways:

Silhouette innovation: The athletic silhouette of the Evos was designed to reinforce the kind of dynamic driving experience for which current Ford products are already known, then pushes the envelope with a unique profile that’s unlike anything else on the road today.

Perceived efficiency: To emphasize the highly efficient vehicle systems at work beneath the skin of new Ford products, this fresh design language will use cues like the Evos’ dramatic fastback and flowing lines that converge to create a slight teardrop shape at the rear of the vehicle.

Refined surface language: Ford designers have simplified and refined the company’s kinetic design language on the Evos, and will continue to do so with coming production vehicles. This will help the lineup stand out from the growing numbers of overly stylized and busy designs of some Ford rivals.

Technical graphics: In addition to communicating to customers the efficiency of the Ford brand, the Evos’ design also works to draw attention to its use of smart technologies. Neat, precise graphics, like those of the concept’s low-profile headlights and tail lamps, along with the integrated rear exhaust and diffuser, are vital to achieving this effect.

New face of Ford: The most important element of the Evos’ design is its grille treatment, which foreshadows the new “face of Ford.” Here, it’s notable that the familiar inverted trapezoid of the current Ford family has been pulled upwards on the front of the vehicle. It’s a telling example of Mays’ belief that the higher the grille sits on a vehicle, the higher the vehicle’s “stature.”

Visual sense of premium quality: The various design elements of the Evos come together in one harmonious whole that gives a clear indication of how, when implemented on production vehicles, the new design language will “give mainstream customers a visual premium-ness,” according to Mays.

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Ford isn’t talking about production plans for the Evos itself, but it’s clear that the design it wears will be showing up at dealerships sooner rather than later.

“We wanted the Ford Evos Concept to give a clear message about where Ford design is heading—shaping vehicles that are fun to drive, have a premium appeal but, above all, are stunningly beautiful,” said Mays. “The first fruit of this vision will be ready sooner than you might think—you'll see it in around four months rather than four years. We can’t wait to introduce the first production car to include this new Ford design to our global customers.”