Ford Start Concept – Beijing

Ford will unveil the Start Concept - a global city car - at the Beijing Motor Show

We really didn’t see this coming – at least not yet – but Ford have pulled off a surprise ahead of the Beijing Motor Show by unveiling a Global City Car – the Ford Start Concept. We’re pretty sure this really is just a concept – although no doubt a direction pointer for Ford’s aspirations - but the 3-pot Ecoboost engine in the Ford Start is definitely not a concept engine.

We’ll start with the engine in the Ford Start. It’s a 1.0 litre 3-pot which Ford says has the power of a 1.6 litre four-pot but emits less than 100g/km CO2. And far from being just a flight of fancy for a concept car this engine will see action in the 2011 Ford Focus and will probably be put in to service in the Fiesta as well.

As far as the Ford Start Concept goes, it’s a showcase for a more affordable and sustainable car, aimed as a city car but perhaps pointing towards a car for emerging markets too. The structure is aluminium and steel to keep weight in check, and the body panels are made from recycled composites which have been coloured before forming – so no paint job.

The styling is a bit generic – and not particularly ‘Ford Kinetic’ – which makes us lean towards the emerging markets car more so. The interior is simple and uses rubber mats and aluminium trim and even relies on iPods for functional software instead of building it in.

That covers the outline, but if you want more of what Ford have to say have a look at the Ford Start Concept Press Release and the photo gallery below.

Ford Start concept is a 1.0 litre 3 Cylinder global city car concept revealed at Beijing. This is a photo gallery.

15 Photos

By Cars UK