VIDEO: Designing the Ford Verve concept car
Click image for photo gallery
One of yesterday's biggest stories was, of course, the introduction of the Ford Verve concept car that will be presented by the automaker at next month's Frankfurt Motor Show. The B-class show car forecasts the "Kinetic Design"-influenced next-generation Fiesta, and now you can hear from the team that created the plucky little 3-door in a short video released by Ford yesterday afternoon.
Follow the jump to see a 3-minute look at the creative process, complete with designer commentary. We'd also like to call your attention to the new Autoblog Video "bumper" attached to the beginning of the vid. It now incorporates our new logo, and is hot off our man Dan Roth's PC as of last night. Let us know what you think.
[Source: Ford]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
remy 11:18AM (8/24/2007)
Nice Ford Peugeot !
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ShaolinDolemite 11:20AM (8/24/2007)
U-G-L-Y You ain't got no alibi, you ugly, yeah, yeah, you ugly.
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policyvote 2:36PM (8/24/2007)
Preposterous. That is a gorgeous design, and the most incredible thing to come out of Ford in forever. If you will call that "ugly", what is pretty?
Peace
policy
Compy386 11:32AM (8/24/2007)
Ford was going for polarizing design and I think they nailed it with this vehicle. Lots of people will love it and just as many will probably hate it. It does look at like a Peugeot though. I'm sure most Americans wouldn't know so it really doesn't matter on this side of the pond.
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Carlos Rubirosa 11:35AM (8/24/2007)
yoy guys are so such "hater" when ever Ford creates a better looking car than your japanes crap, this is why ford is strugiling with their product, is because of people like you it doesn't matter what they do you will always critiziced their good design eye...
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Carlos Rubirosa 11:35AM (8/24/2007)
i'm a little worried that if ford brings it over to the US it will become a little ford Edge...
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DP 11:36AM (8/24/2007)
STUNNING!
This will be a run-away hit at the Auto Show next month.
I would buy this car.
(So would my partner, a die-hard European car owner)
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Dirk 11:41AM (8/24/2007)
"Hey guys, I got an idea. Lets just put a Ford badge on a Yaris, then we can browse the web for the next two years as we 'design' this Verve."
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John P. 11:50AM (8/24/2007)
I'd buy it today if it was on the lot as shown in the pics, maybe in another color, but,.... small 4cyl (1.6ltr or so) with a 5spd manual is all I ask for.
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db25 11:59AM (8/24/2007)
I like it, very european. But I am also a fan of Peugeots. I hope if it does come to the North American market Ford won't force that ugly chrome three bar grill onto it, and try to make it look real "tough" with added plastic body claddin with ridges in it. I think the Dodge Caliber has shown that trying to make a small car macho does not work. Let the macho guys drive f-series trucks.
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revn06 12:18PM (8/24/2007)
I like it, but I still think it looks like a shrunk down squashed version of like a lexus rx350.
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Al 12:47PM (8/24/2007)
Personally I really like the design, it's forward thinking, it's edgy, for ford, I think it's a huge step in the right direction. To many car companies (ford has had problems with that) have been designing their cars a little less innovative, and taking chances. Some went too far, I'll give you that, but there is something to say for companies trying to innovate the way cars are designed. Compared to some of the designs in the past for Ford, especially recently, this is a big change and I think it's a good change. Some of the designs have been ok, but ... look @ the US Focus coming soon ... I personally do not like that look. If they come out with a car that looks like this, It will give Ford a presence and it's definitely different than other companies. IMO good design and I hope that they come out with a car looking like this, as it would likely sell pretty well if not great.
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Mike 1:02PM (8/24/2007)
Nice car, but a waste of time. It's Ford. They'll f*ck it up.
They will tone down the styling and give it sh*tty suspension and weak engine options and cheap interior and low build quality and almost no standard equipment and no cool optional equipment and over-price it.
The only way to fix that company and make the cars better is for it to go Ch. 11 and be scooped up by a private equity firm full of car lovers who have the balls to start chopping heads in the offices.
Until then, my money goes to no one but the Germans.
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FrankTheCrank 1:10PM (8/24/2007)
Good job Mazda Design studio.
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Compy386 1:15PM (8/24/2007)
This doesn't look like any Mazda I've seen. It looks more like the Iosis-X concept that came out last year. The underpinings are Mazda so if this thing turns out to be a blast to drive (odds are good) then props to Mazda's engineering department. I don't see much Mazda design in this vehicles.
nortonduke 2:15PM (10/02/2007)
Total current mazda styling licks
The wide arched wheel well bulges
the desending accent ridge merging into the those arches
If Ford can keep the look close to this and iject a bit more handleing than the Yaris/scion I am going to get my 1st ford.
Calguy 1:33PM (8/24/2007)
Super nice. Exactly what the compact car scene needs. Tight, sexy design, near Aston Martin front end (and sorry, not remotely Yaris to me.. but to each their own) and possibly semi-premium? Hot.
Pray they don't make it look remotely related to the upcoming dork of a Focus when it gets diluted.
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calebe 1:47PM (8/24/2007)
If it looked like that on the dealers lot, I would buy one. The thing is , it will not.
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geo.stewart 3:16PM (8/24/2007)
and therein lies the rub...
SPG 2:35PM (8/24/2007)
Cool car, I like it. I'd love to see it for sale in North America. I'm sure it will have incredible handling as well.
The front bumper looks pretty cool too but being in this price range I can see a large demographic buying it. That means that the people that scratch every curb with their wheels and bump every two high cement curb with their bumpers are going to destroy that bumper/grille combo in a month. Insurance maybe if you don't mind the deductable or out of pocket if you can afford it.
My prediction is that if this car comes out with this bumber that in ten to fifteen years finding one with a mint bumper/grille combo will be a semi-rare occurance.
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