Ford unveiled this darling little dumpling at the Beijing auto show today (or last night, or at whatever time things like this happen on the other side of the globe). And the company is going out of its way to say that it will not build this subcompact, the Start. The red plastic orb-with-wheels you see here is merely the wrapping for the real news: a three-cylinder, 1.0-liter direct-injected turbocharged motor that will, in the next couple of years, find a home in production vehicles across Ford's vast, global empire, including the United States.
Make the jump for full details and an unnecessarily large image gallery.
That's right: Ford will reacquaint Americans with the engine configuration that made the Subaru Justy and Saab Sonnet I such curiously curious (and slow) creations. The new Ford engine, which we're told will pump out about 120 hp, will be introduced first in Europe, where it will be one of the Fiesta's engine options. It might also be used in the European Focus as well and will certainly be bolted into the next-generation Ka city car.
We in North America won't see the iron-block, aluminum-head motor until probably 2012 or 2013, when it is expected to replace the 1.6-liter four-cylinder that is currently the only Fiesta motor offered in the U.S. The new EcoBoost motor, with its high 10:1 compression ratio and turbo should be reasonably responsive and punchy for its tiny displacement. And one would have to assume that the new motor will improve on the fuel efficiency of the 1.6-liter, which returns 29 mpg in the city and 38 on the highway with the five-speed manual transmission, according to the EPA.
What of the concept into which this motor is placed? We think Ford protests too much about the Start not being a meaningful thing. According to our source at Ford, the Start previews some of the design elements that the company is toying with as it works on the next-generation Ka subcompact. The current Ka is the result of cooperation between Ford of Europe and Fiat (the Ka and Fiat 500 share a common platform), a relationship made exponentially more complicated after the U.S. government gave Fiat control of Chrysler.
Whatever. We dig its see-through C-pillars, its gauge package, its nascent dorsal fin and even the sharp crease on its sides. We think the name is stupid but is ironically only one letter away from "Smart."
ed124c says:
08:45 AM, 04/22/10
A beautiful concept that will, if put into production, look more like the FIAT 500.
I like it inside and out. It seems to have enough room for a small family, although trunk space is probably small--6 or 8 cubes.
Not enough negatives, though, to put me off. I could buy this as a city car. But then I would have 3 vehicles-- winter (AWD), summer (road trips) and the city car. I can't afford to have 3 cars, but many people can.
I read here that the Nano will probably cost 6K. I wonder how much this would cost.
jederino says:
08:57 AM, 04/22/10
Styling is fun. Reminds me of a puffy Audi TT, but in a good way.
cruiserhead1 says:
09:15 AM, 04/22/10
gorgeous little car!
It does have a strong Italian look to it. Hope they make it
k55 says:
09:19 AM, 04/22/10
It always amazes me the way a manufacturer decides what NOT to bring to market.
I would buy this yesterday if it was available right now...small, sporty,economical, quick............I am in the market for a MINI Cooper S ( but dont really want to pay what they are asking).
Seems this could be a natural competitor for MINI , the upcoming Fiat 500 /500 Abarth, upcoming Suzuki Swift/Swift Sport, upcoming VW Polo/ Polo GTI.........and others . It is just great and I wouldnt change a thing unless there could be a hotter version in the works.
PLEASE Ford- bring this to market quickly.
rollk says:
09:47 AM, 04/22/10
Are people not reading the article? It clearly says Ford is NOT building this car, and it's only to showcase the engine.
Nonetheless, it is a quirky supermini.
inlinesix says:
09:57 AM, 04/22/10
even if they don't make the car it is really a "darling little dumpling"
seppoboy says:
10:21 AM, 04/22/10
An absolutely charmingly gorgeous toy. Great job by the designers
windsor5 says:
10:52 AM, 04/22/10
If enough people say they want it companies cave in i.e the BMW hybrid super coupe that was supposed to be a concept only until popular demand deamed it to be made. If ford gets enough hype on this car they might make it.
sabastian says:
11:56 AM, 04/22/10
This little thing looks fantastic! I imagine Ford could find a lot of buyers if the final car stayed reasonably true to the concept.
mlh says:
12:16 PM, 04/22/10
Wow -- best looking thing I've seen in a long time!
throwback says:
12:25 PM, 04/22/10
Stunning design, I have to think they are going to do something with this design. This could be their next design direction. I wonder what platform this is built on. The seats while not practical are super cool.
isend2c says:
12:34 PM, 04/22/10
"rollk says:
09:47 AM, 04/22/10
Are people not reading the article? It clearly says Ford is NOT building this car, and it's only to showcase the engine."
Yes! People! it's not being made. Look at more of the article than just the pictures!
throwback says:
12:52 PM, 04/22/10
From the article:
"According to our source at Ford, the Start previews some of the design elements that the company is toying with as it works on the next-generation Ka subcompact."
Do you think if they where going to build it they would say so now? How many times have companies called show cars "just a concept" only to produce the thing in 2 years time?
compressor says:
01:11 PM, 04/22/10
The car itself may not be made, but auto companies do not design concepts for fun alone. That is bad business even if they are "saying" its to showcase the engine. If the design is well received, we may start to see it in production cars. If the car is very well received, they may even consider making something based off the concept.
Auto companies have ignored customers responses in the past. To repeat this only leads to failure.
So...Ford: this is a beautiful little car, inside and out.
throwback says:
01:28 PM, 04/22/10
It will be interesting to see how many people post on their ideas website that they need to build this car.
juan_mx says:
01:53 PM, 04/22/10
Ok, it is a concept, and they are not planing to build it,.....but considering the response to this car
Ford should consider selling the 3-door Fiesta in the US...
or, If Fiat is introducing the 500 to the US, why not bring the Ford Ka? they use the same platform, and the Ka is cuter.
shouldermonkey says:
01:54 PM, 04/22/10
I like it, but that's a tight fit in the back seat. from the front, it looks like someone squished a Mitsu Lan Evo X Concept. But this is a good attempt.
notabigdeal says:
02:09 PM, 04/22/10
Please don't put the manuel shifter where it is on the pic.
ed124c says:
02:16 PM, 04/22/10
If Ford built this car, it would take years to come to market. If they told us now that they were going to build it, then a lot of people would not buy Fiestas-- or whatever other little car Ford has up its sleeve. This has always been the way it is done. Why do you think they camoflage their next year models until the last minute? They need to clear out the inventory of the current model. Ford made somewhat of a mistake in revealing all the details of the '11 Mustangs. As a consequence, they have had to put big rebates on the '10, even though the '10 was a big improvement over the '09.
angry_mushroom says:
02:22 PM, 04/22/10
Engine or not. This is a actually a surprisingly production worthy looking car. Maybe a new Aspire?
iancar says:
03:37 PM, 04/22/10
Fiat 500 is based on Ford Ka.
xorbe says:
04:31 PM, 04/22/10
1.0T 3-cylinder ... awesome! (The car pictured above would never meet US bumper specs.)
cruiserhead1 says:
05:01 PM, 04/22/10
@notabigdeal
it's a MANUAL
Manuel is the guy who teaches you how to drive it.
alex38 says:
05:41 PM, 04/22/10
A VERY stylish little car. Ford definitely the most competitive of the US Auto brands. Really feeling the design language here. Nice job.
bimmerjay says:
06:25 PM, 04/22/10
Gorgeous design, I love it.
deathtollwrx says:
06:36 PM, 04/22/10
Finally we see an original and inspiring design! I'm almos sure it would sell well here in Southern California.
angry_mushroom says:
08:26 PM, 04/22/10
The engine should prove to be amusing, but I kinda doubt it will come here. The design on the car seems too reasonable to be a concept.
patrickw says:
09:14 PM, 04/22/10
I'd need to sit in it and toss it around, but it looks great.
dieseltc says:
11:06 PM, 04/22/10
Yeah, sure... They spend a ton of money on those artist renderings which are simply gorgeous and they're saying this car won't be built. I call B.S.
This car is coming and I gladly look forward to it.
gordancin says:
03:32 AM, 04/23/10
I would hope Ford builds this without getting cold feet and messing up the design like they did to the (needlessly cluttered mess of a) front end on the upcoming North American Focus. Or like they did with the re-design of the Lincoln MKX; who's the person that decided to put their unique corporate grill, and then ruin it by adding those oversized rounded wheel wells on the front fenders?. How is it the Lincoln MKS ended up being all "bloated looking" when the sleek lines of the MKR concept showed so much promise? (It's not like they couldn't achieve the same sleek horizontal look `cause they managed to use those elements on the Taurus). Also... why did they take away their horizontal rear light strip "heritage" design element on the MKS and the upcoming MKX?!!!
It's frustrating to see how FORD destroys their own designs either by de-emphasizing their own (initially) great ideas or cluttering them up with to much over the top cheesy stuff. This is especially felt because their own designs show so much potential. Why do they do this?
I'd love to think that perhaps this "Start' is the preview for a world "ka" that would be sold in Canada and the U.S... but what will we end up with if they approve it???
scottyscooter says:
04:54 AM, 04/23/10
I like this concept. Unfortunately if they changed their minds and decided to bring it to production, I would think that the design would be ruined by the necessary alterations.
The new 1.0 motor sounds very promising. Way to go Ford! They should consider offering their diesel engines to the US as an option as well.
dyzio says:
07:13 AM, 04/23/10
this is a little piece of art....
Hello producers !!!
we want things like that: our streets 'll be more colorfull:
how about 49 concept , or this forgoted shelf-car:
http://agnieszkabrzezinska.blogspot.com/2009/09/ford-021c-ten-years-ago-concept-car.html
dyzio says:
07:14 AM, 04/23/10
this is a little piece of art....
Hello producers !!!
we want things like that: our streets 'll be more colorfull:
how about 49 concept , or this forgoted shelf-car:
http://agnieszkabrzezinska.blogspot.com/2009/09/ford-021c-ten-years-ago-concept-car.html
f1ndler says:
10:30 AM, 04/23/10
Ford should make this car any time soon but with smaller stirring wheel.
krankshafted says:
02:44 PM, 04/23/10
...am I the only one who doesn't like the concept much? Meh.
thejohnp says:
12:04 PM, 04/24/10
If the Fiat 500 does well in US, I wouldn't be surprised if Ford brings this concept into production.