Bitche Original These days, the Ford brand has assembled a number of star products from its off-road family to debut at the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show, including the new Edge L, the new Explorer Kunlun Peak Edition, and the new Ranger and the famous hard-core SUV Ford Bronco. Among them, the Ranger is about to be produced in China, and the new Edge L has also officially announced the price, starting from 229,800 yuan. At the same time, the upcoming Ford Electric Horse GT Storm retro version, the new generation Ford F-150 Raptor and the pure electric version F-150 Lightning were also on display at the same stage.
Regarding the design concepts and stories behind several blockbuster star models, Ford specially invited the chief designers of these four models to talk about the design concepts and features. The following is the shorthand of the scene.
New Ford Edge L
Maurizio Tocco: Chief Designer of Ford Edge L
Maurizio Tocco: Hello everyone, let me introduce to you some design concepts and ideas behind the new Ford Edge L. This car uses the design language of "potential aesthetics" launched for the Chinese market, which is reflected in the design concept of our Ford China Design Center to create this car for the Chinese market. It has three principles, including smart shape, intelligent response and strong aura. The agile shape means that this car has a sense of speed. The key to smart thinking is that its human-computer interaction and interior design will make people feel right and wrong.A very intelligent and caring companion. Strong aura means that many of our large SUVs and pickup trucks have a very powerful feel, and these design elements will be applied to our design concepts.
Let me introduce the connection effect between the grille and the headlights. It is a connected LED light, with three layers of LED lights connected below for support. When the turn signal is turned on, it echoes with the grille. It is also three-layered, which naturally produces a very connected and consistent effect on the front face.
The front face of the car can feel that the overall feeling is relatively wide, and the aerodynamics are also very good, but because it is very wide, it gives people a very noble and imposing feel luxurious effect. From a proportional perspective, the body is divided into upper and lower halves using color, and this is also reflected in the rearview mirror including the lights. The effect is that the body is elongated. The longer the body, the more it reflects the more luxurious and high-end visual effect of this SUV.
The lower part of the car body is designed with a unique structure to firmly ground the car on the ground, so it is more atmospheric. Going up, it has a streamlined shape of water flow, which has the effect of moving upward. Finally, the C-pillar is a more distinctive and highly recognizable design element. It is consistent with the design of the Explorer C-pillar, which is a higher level than it. The most important effect is that it can make the glass here particularly transparent. Allowing the light in the car to penetrate 100% without obstruction. Like the front, the rear is also a horizontal through line, giving people a calm and atmospheric effect, a visual effect that can only be found in luxury models. The penetrating taillights are also three-section, echoing the front and continuing in the same vein.visual effects.
Let me introduce you to the interior. The cockpit design is a 2+2+3 layout. The 2+2+3 layout makes the rear row look high-end and comfortable, and brings a very wide seating space for second-row passengers. It is also very rich in functions, allowing third-row passengers to easily enter and exit, with zero-gravity seats. The shape of the chair also brings excellent comfort and also supports wireless charging function. In terms of details, the interior of Ruijie L also uses satin smoked electronic coating, laser-etched textures, and quilted patterns, which looks very refined and elegant.
The first thing that catches the eye in the first row is the 27-inch large screen, plus the 12-inch large instrument panel screen. The two screens are actually connected, and a large number of horizontal lines are used throughout the car to surround the passengers, creating an inclusive and open feeling. The complete screen gives people a sense of security and is calm and atmospheric, reflecting the image of a high-end model. There is also a central armrest, which is relatively high, and putting your hands on it gives you a more noble feeling. The shift lever is also very high-end in design. The materials and colors are specially considered to make the colors match better. Some stitching is also more careful, and the metallic color in the middle can reflect a high-end effect.
New Ford Explorer Kunlun Peak Edition
Simon Brook: Chief Designer of Ford China Design Center
Simon Brook: The new Ford Explorer Kunlun Peak Edition shown to you today is a further design based on the regular version of the new Ford Explorer. Whether it is visually or functionally, it enhances its outdoor and off-road visual elements. This time the Explorer Kunlun Peak Edition has many interior and exterior design elements and details, reflecting the design inspiration it draws from the Kunlun Mountains.
The new Ford Explorer Kunlun Peak Edition continues the Explorer's powerful stance, and at the same time, a lot of adjustments have been made to the entire lower body, including many changes to the chassis. , also improves the passing performance of the entire vehicle. Including you can see that there are many functional parts in the lower half of the front face. In fact, these are not only decorative, these are real chassis parts that can play a functional and protective role.
You can see the blackened part of the entire front face. It has a flowing feeling from top to bottom. At the same time, the entire blackened grille extends to both sides and extends to The outermost position gives the front face the fullest visual width. You can notice the details on the grille. In fact, this element of ours is also derived from the design of Ford's hard-core off-road vehicles such as the Bronco. Therefore, there are design elements that are inherited throughout the entire family product lineage.
We also hope that it embodies the sense of luxury and technology that a Ford Explorer should have, so you can see that we retain the design that runs through the headlights, including the headlights that have a very technological feel lamp design. We also added a more classic Timberline design element, which is the ice blade grille light design. This design is also combined with the design of our headlights to combine the sense of technology, luxury and wildness of the new Ford Explorer Kunlun Peak Edition.It feels like a very good balance has been achieved.
The optimization of the entire chassis just mentioned has resulted in a very good passing performance improvement for this car. Larger suspension clearance, all-terrain tires with larger tire diameters, and 18-inch basalt hard-core wheel designs with inlaid decoration. Many details, such as the very stable trapezoidal visual structure, are also in line with the design elements on our front face.
You can see that the most eye-catching thing on the wheel hub is the orange small detail design. You can notice the mountain logo on the orange element. It is widely used in both exterior and interior decorations. This mountain logo is also a unique mountain logo of the classic Timberline series. The debut model also uses the same color - Alkin Orange as the body color. The entire color selection is very bold and outstanding. Even in the subsequent configuration of other exterior body colors, we will retain some orange details to give it a very jumping and conflicting color feel.
When designing the rear, the Ford China Design Center team hopes to achieve an overall feel that echoes the front of the car. The upper part of the rear also has a sense of technology and a tough feel. design. In the lower part, which is in line with the front of the car, there will be a blackened design and large horizontal elements that reflect the visual width of the vehicle.
As the top flagship product among Ford's localized products, the new Ford Explorer Kunlun Peak Edition not only embodies a tough and off-road design, but also has a sense of luxury. and daily use scenarios. Therefore, you can see that the atmosphere of the entire interior also has a very good balance between luxury, comfort and wildness.
The design inspiration of the interior is the same as the exterior, inspired by the natural landforms of the Kunlun Mountains, such as suede, quicksand rice and black jade extracted from the desert terrain. Black contrast color, including visual elements extracted from the contour map of Kunlun’s highest peak, Gonger Peak at an altitude of 7,649 meters.
In terms of the details just mentioned, we have noticed that Chinese consumers are actually very concerned about the consistency of details and craftsmanship when it comes to luxury. Therefore, this element inspired by the contours of Konger Peak is used throughout the entire interior details. You can take a look at it if you have the opportunity. From the IP panel to the central armrest area, to the stitching of the seats, to the welcome pedals of the four doors, there is an interpretation of this design element taken from the contours of the topographic map.
We can feel that the entire product is still a classic full-size American SUV from the outside, which can reflect this sense of muscle, power, and powerful domineering feeling. Also in terms of the interior, I hope to emphasize that it has such a comfortable, refined, and luxurious feeling, so that the entire product can be regarded as a product that is both wild and luxurious, and can take you to further places. I think this This is also the feeling that our entire Ford China Design Center team wants to reflect through this product.
New Ford Ranger
Max Tran: Chief Designer of Ford Ranger
Max tran: I am very proud of this car. It is a work designed by me. We have always paid special attention to the demand of consumers around the world for the Ranger mid-size pickup truck. Summary It comes out in one word—Versatility, multifunctional and multipurpose. Therefore, consumers can use it when working, when entertaining, and when traveling with their families. Therefore, we try our best to integrate various functions required by consumers into our designs.
We will introduce the design considerations from beginning to end. From the perspective of proportions, you will find that the new Ranger is wider than before, the tires are farther outward, and the overall feeling is more dynamic and stable. The front face of the car maintains the design of the Ford Ranger pickup truck family, ensuring that it has a particularly majestic and highly recognizable shape. The front face is very wide, with a horizontal bar in the middle, and the frontal impact is strong. This is a version developed specifically for China and is one of the new Rangers.
The front bumper is made of pure steel, and the tow hook is located very high and obvious. There is a sunken underbody protection here to ensure that the front engine system is not affected by different road conditions. It is designed with the needs of off-road directions in mind. Moreover, its welcome pedal and wading hose can wade into deep water without stalling. The overall feeling is that it is a very strong and powerful shape with a very grand style.
This is the fifth generation of Ford Ranger. The Ranger pickup truck is very popular among Ford and is a family that everyone likes very much. We must respect the inheritance of design DNA and ensure that Everyone knew it was a Ranger when they saw it 50 or 100 meters away. It continues to maintain some of its original shapes. The shape of its waistline, shoulder line, and the shape of the entire window frame are highly consistent with the previous Ranger, so it is still highly recognizable.
Although many designs pay tribute to the past, they must also bring a sense of modernity to it. The surface of several word marks on this generation of models is a modern interpretation of the mud painted on it. The new car is also equipped with off-road tires, and there is a lock between the wheel hub and the tire, as well as the tireA great protection, this one is also removable.
We asked many consumers that their requirements for pickup trucks are not to step on the rear wheels to get things. It is best to have a design in this place. After listening to the voices of consumers, We just improved it. Considering that on the one hand it is a lifestyle choice, it looks cool and has a sense of design. At the same time, it really has to perform some real functions, so inside, we put a lot of hooks, power supplies, and partitions to make it easy to load things. After breaking the whole thing off and laying it flat, you can connect a chainsaw, put wood, etc. here. Many things can be connected to it and can be powered directly. If you have any questions, I am happy to answer them. I will briefly introduce these two cars to you here. Thank you!
Ford Bronco
Max Wolff: Design Director of Ford China and International Markets Group
Max Tran: Chief Designer of Ford Ranger
Max Tran: First of all, in terms of design concept, many of our design elements pay tribute to the first-generation Ford Bronco that was born in 1966. As the pioneer of the Ford SUV family and the first model to propose the Sport Utility concept in history, the birth of the Ford Bronco filled a gap in the market at that time. Its excellent versatility and strong passability greatly extended people's life and travel radius. It has also directly promoted the development and growth of the SUV model category and is a classic representative of hard-core off-road vehicles that is loved by many off-road enthusiasts. Therefore, we fully considered its multi-function and off-road attributes from the beginning of the design of Ford Bronco, and fully reflected these functions in the design, so that users can feel the freedom and unrestraint it represents in their hearts.. In terms of exterior design, it is also intended to pay tribute to some of the original design features, but at the same time make it more modern, so that it does not look like an old or classic car, but a modern model. There are a few points here that are relatively cool.
Ford Bronco's front grille design adopts very classic elements. The straight front grille adopts a very hard-core design. The shape of the grille is like a The shape struck by a hammer has a very natural style. The letters BRONCO in the front grille are connected in a line, echoing the classic round headlight design, showing a very unique personality design.
From the beginning of the design of this car, the purpose was to make it a multi-functional off-road vehicle, suitable for outdoor use and with powerful performance, representing the spirit of freedom in the heart. So it must be very convenient. You can notice that its biggest feature is that the door and top are removable and placed in the trunk, allowing zero-distance contact with nature.
The tires are all-terrain off-road tires that protrude beyond the car body and provide good protection for the car body. The design point is very forward, which is equivalent to front insurance. The position of the bar is relatively short. The feeling of this car is that the front and rear wheels are very close to both ends, giving the car a very stable and atmospheric feel.
I just said that the doors and roof can be removed, and many elements are modular and can be removed. For example, the front bumper can be removed, so there are many cool design elements inside. This tow hook is relatively tall and very convenient to use. I just mentioned that the tires of this car are on the outside and the body is inward, so the body chassis can be better protected. It is also for the convenience of everyone to remove the front door, so the rearview mirror is connected to the front and not connected to the front door, so when the front door is removed, the rearview mirror will not be affected and its safety can continue to be ensured.
The interior design places great emphasis on functionality and multi-functional off-road features. After the door is removed, it is very convenient for off-road use, because off-road road conditions are very complicated, and you always have to make sure to look ahead of you and the road surface. Therefore, the key buttons are placed in the most eye-catching positions, and you do not need to lower your head to press them, which will not affect your driving experience.
The design of the entire center console of Ford Bronco also reflects elements that pay tribute to the first-generation Ford Bronco born in 1966. You can see that the curvature of the entire instrument panel is the same as that of the 1966 version. , especially the location where the "Bronco" logo is printed in front of the co-pilot is exactly the same. Because we emphasize seamless and barrier-free connection with nature, we removed the crossbar above the B-pillar. Whether you are in the front row or the back row, you can enjoy a 360-degree view of the sky without any obstructions or cuts.
The hook is designed for everyone to go camping and outdoor activities. It is very convenient. For example, kettles and other things can be easily connected. The tailgate is also the same as the 1966 version. It can be opened. The spare tire is hung on the tailgate. The tailgate opens horizontally. The shape of its taillights is also the same as the 1966 version.
Written at the end: It can be seen that behind the design of each Ford model is inheritance combined with innovation, and practicality combined with aesthetics. The 2023 Shanghai International Auto Show will be held from April 18 to April 27. The Ford booth located in Hall 8.2 is also looking forward to your visit.
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