http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061128/AUTO01/611280373/1148Workers get sneak peek at future cars
Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. workers and retirees got a glimpse of the company's future Monday -- including an all-new subcompact car, the next-generation F-150 pickup and a re-imagined Explorer sport utility vehicle-- during a series of morale-building forums at Cobo Arena.
The event was closed to the media and Ford required attendees to sign confidentiality agreements, but The Detroit News spoke with a number of employees and retirees afterward. Most came away enthused and confident that Ford has enough hot new vehicles in the pipeline to help fuel a turnaround.
The event, called "Showroom of the Future," was a first for Ford and offered a look at vehicles that will go into production between now and 2010. Many had never been seen outside of Ford's closely guarded design studios in Dearborn.
Topping the list of surprises was a prototype for a Ford subcompact car that would fill a glaring hole in the automaker's lineup.
Mark Fields, president of Ford's Americas group, has been talking about building a small, stylish and fuel-efficient "B-car" since taking over the automaker's domestic operations last fall. But he had yet to offer so much as a sketch of what that vehicle would look like until Monday.
The four-door sedan features a three-bar grille and wraparound headlamps. It's powered by a four-cylinder, 1.8-liter engine already used in Europe, though new options could be available by the time the car goes into production in 2009 or 2010. It is designed to compete with the Honda Fit.
"If they brought it out now, it might hit the mark," said analyst Jim Hall of AutoPacific Inc. in Troy, who is familiar with the vehicle. "But they can't bring it out now."
Ford also unveiled two redesigned versions of its stalwart F-150 pickup Monday. The new F-150, which is expected to go into production in 2008, borrows from the bolder look of Ford's Super Duty pickups.
"It's an in-your-face (grille)," said Hall, adding that it will take more than good looks to guarantee the F-150's future success.
"A lot of it is going to be determined by how it drives and how it does in fuel economy."
The F-series is facing stiffer competition than ever. General Motors Corp. has new versions of its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra coming to market right now and Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. is about to introduce its first true full-size pickup.
In addition to substantially refreshed styling, the revamped F-150 will offer new powertrain options, including a diesel engine. However, that will not be offered on the initial version.
Ford also showed a photo of a next-generation Ford Explorer codenamed ORE -- which stands for On-Road Explorer. The design was more sporty than rugged and the vehicle was based on a car platform rather than that of a truck.
Also shown for the first time was the production version of Ford's "people mover," a full-size crossover based on the Fairlane concept shown at the Detroit auto show in 2005.
The unnamed vehicle still features the Fairlane's squared-off sides and a white roof.
Ford also unveiled refreshed versions of its Focus compact car -- with a chrome two-bar grille -- the midsize Fusion sedan, the Five Hundred large sedan and the Mustang coupe.
"We're definitely delivering the product," said Bruce Whittle, a supervisor in Ford's chassis section, who was excited about the vehicles he saw at Cobo but wouldn't reveal details.
The Lincoln brand's new MKS flagship sedan was a favorite of some attendees. A prototype was unveiled at last year's North American International Auto Show, but participants got to see the production version Monday, which will not arrive in showrooms until 2008.
No Mercury vehicles were on display, but photos were shown of refreshed versions of Montego and Milan sedans and the Mariner SUV.
The highlight of "Showroom of the Future," most agreed, was the tiny new subcompact.
Ford insiders say it will be built on a new platform being developed by Mazda Motor Corp., which Ford controls. Known internally as the B2E platform, it will also provide the basic architecture for the next-generation Ford Fiesta and Mazda2.
Other versions are also planned for the U.S. market, including a small crossover.
Ford spokeswoman Sara Tatchio confirmed that the company did unveil "one possible design" for the subcompact Monday, but would not discuss details of the vehicle.
"We'll get a B-car as fast as we can with the right design and right business case," she said.
Ford was already well on its way to delivering a subcompact SUV for the U.S. market when Fields took over last year. But he killed that project, saying it was designed to compete on price alone, not on style or quality.
Ford's focus shifted to developing an American version of the new Mazda. At one point, Ford hoped to build the new subcompact in Mexico, expanding one of its existing plants to accommodate the new vehicle.
But Ford's financial woes have called that plan into question.
"Right now, we're planning to build the B-car in Brazil," said one person familiar the plan. "But that changes daily."
