Ford SAV Concept Targets New Market Niche

Like the figure-hugging running suits worn by modern sportsmen and women, the Ford SAV Concept's outer skin unmistakably signals its sporting intent.

It is finished in metallic silver reminiscent of liquid mercury, highlighting its sleek appearance.

“Our approach was to provide a vehicle with the space and flexibility of a people mover, but with an entirely different emotional connection with the driver,” said SAV Concept exterior designer Geoff Gardiner. “We aimed to create an extremely dynamic vehicle, in both visual and performance terms, that would convey a true sense of pride to its owner.”

Exterior design elements have evolved from current Ford models but are characterised by more emotion and depth. The silhouette of the SAV Concept is unique, characterised by a very fast, raked windscreen and an arching roofline that ends in an integral tailgate spoiler. A distinctive side window graphic with a strong ‘kick-up’ at the rear lends a dynamic quality to the profile and creates a strong D-pillar shape.

SAV Concept’s bolder lines, fuller body sections and interestingly interplayed shapes are among the signals that different influences are coming into Ford’s European design language.

The front of the vehicle offers a very bold graphic solution composed of the large, dual-lamp headlamps, raked bonnet and bumper sections shaped around a wide, deep inverted trapezoid lower grille opening. The interplay of intersecting lines converges on the Ford oval bedecked grille.

Details build on the visual distinction. Fog lamps are positioned higher and more centrally than in past Ford models, becoming a much more dominant design feature, while the outboard lower bumper features deeply dished brake cooling ducts finished in brushed aluminium.

Strong body side feature lines and bold wheel arches give the Ford SAV Concept a clear sense of purpose and performance intent. An undercut shoulder line sweeps rearward from the aluminium-edged front wheel arch duct. Tension is created in the body side by a parallel lower feature line that lends substance to the body definition.

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