First look: Blue Oval goes kinetic

MERCEDES-BENZ may have started the four-door coupe craze with its striking E-class sedan-based CLS, but now it seems the concept has spread all the way to the Blue Oval.

Ford of Europe’s iosis concept may never reach production – let alone be seen on Australian roads – but its significance in heralding the design direction of Ford’s future European models should not be underestimated.

Revealed ahead of its Frankfurt motor show debut next week, the iosis concept is a further development of the SAV Concept wheeled out at the Geneva show in March.

As one of the most stylish products yet seen from Ford, the coupe-like concept’s "kinetic design" philosophy represents a departure from the company’s "edge" design theme employed by the original Focus.

"Iosis is more than just a show car, it is sending a message about how Ford of Europe's future design will be defined," said Ford of Europe executive design director Martin Smith.

"It sends a bold message because our future products will be bold."Iosis is said to represent Ford’s new kinetic design language in its ultimate and most muscular form, expressing energy in motion by visualising Ford’s "acclaimed driving quality".

As a sequel to the SAV Concept, Iosis – which is said to be an alchemic term referring to the final stage of the transformation of base metal into gold – also demonstrates how kinetic design can be applied to different vehicle types.

The concept features carefully sculpted surfaces spanning taut, dynamic feature lines, strong shoulders supported by sharply defined undercut lines and a distinctive daylight opening area with a characteristic upward "tick" at the rear.

Headlight graphics echo the DLO’s rear tick, while 20-inch alloy wheels milled from solid billet are claimed to emphasise the new design language’s three-dimensional quality.

Inside, this design in motion theme is reinforced by features like a solid aluminium steering wheel, a Focus WRCar-inspired sequential gear shifter and a starter button mounted beneath a flip-up lid on the shifter.

Electroluminescent foil - which emits a gentle, even light and can be cut into any shape - illuminates the doors and ceiling.

A prominent instrument binnacle houses a cluster of analogue instruments, accompanied by a high-definition LCD display that displays the navigation system or views from three rear-facing cameras.

The interior is accessed by carbon-fibre doors that swing upwards and outwards on sophisticated hinges.