Ford's "Kinetic" Design

In 2004, Ford Motor Company began to experiment with a new design concept that became known as “kinetic design.”

The main principle of kinetic design is to make lines on the car that make it feel “athletic, dynamic and in shortness, make it look like its moving even when it’s standing still.” Kinetic is literally defined as “energy in motion” and Ford very much wanted to make their cars looks as if they are moving forward and in a constant state of evolution. Martin Smith, Ford of Europe’s executive design director, stated that Europeans wanted a Ford that showed emotion and a sense of refinement, rather than something that looked lifeless and cartoonish.

With this in mind, designer’s formulated the SAV in 2005, the first concept car to display the kinetic design aesthetic. Since then they’ve created kinetic features on most of their European models, such as the Ka and the Focus.

At this point, the question Ford faces the most is will kinetic design translate to American car-buyers? In 2005, Peter Horbury, the Executive Director of Ford North American Design, stated that “kinetic design DNA doesn't mean the same thing to buyers in this market, so it won't resonate the same way.” Horbury further acknowledged that while many Americans are of varied cultures and have different values, they still tend to share the same universal idea about life. They don’t enjoy the quite, but rather they prefer directness and action. Therefore, he believes Americans would prefer a bolder, structured design, something loud and flashy rather than sleek and refined.

Whether or not Americans will embrace or reject kinetic design still remains to be seen, since U.S audiences only recently at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show got their first look at the Ford Verve, a kinetic designed sedan planned to go to market in Europe and Asia by 2009 and in America by 2010.

Ford currently believes that Americans are looking for “technology, design and fuel efficiency.” The smaller, economical, European kinetic design is their answer.



Posted By: Rob Goodman

Sources:

No Author. (2009). Ford Kinetic Design. Ford of Britain. Retrieved from http://www.ford.co.uk/Cars/KineticDesign/mdp=v1204941954768

Abuelsamid, Sam. (2008) Detroit 2008: Ford Verve Sedan concept brings "Kinetic design" to the U.S. for the first time. Auto Blog Green. Retrieved from http://green.autoblog.com/2008/01/13/detroit-2008-ford-verve-sedan-concept/#.

Image retrieved from http://green.autoblog.com/2008/01/13/detroit-2008-ford-verve-sedan-concept/#.