Aug 20, 2003 – For the Frankfurt Motor Show , Ford’s European design team has been working on a bespoke ‘design study’ vehicle, the Ford Visos, a four-seat luxury sports car featuring innovative technologies, and hinting at Ford's future design direction in Europe.

"We’ll be showing something very significant for us", explains Chris Bird, Ford’s European Design Director. "We asked the team to develop a shape which not only embodies their passion and enthusiasm for cars, but which gives a clear indication of how we want Ford of Europe’s future design language to evolve."

"The vehicle is very dramatic, drawing inspiration from some of the well-loved European Fords of the past," says Bird. "Yet it isn’t a retro design; rather, it takes aspects of what made those designs so emotional and wraps them into a dynamic, forward-thinking look, designed to bring a smile to your face."

The Visos is designed around space, performance, luxury and adaptability, featuring fully customisable displays, user-adaptable engine modes and ‘mood’ settings that can be adapted to suit the preferences of each individual driver.

"This car is intended to demonstrate the blue oval’s ability to create strong emotional connections with consumers" according to Derrick Kuzak, Ford of Europe’s vice president of Product Development. "For our young design team, fresh from executing a series of major vehicle programmes to transform the Ford brand in Europe, this meant the opportunity and freedom to explore a bolder and more expressive future. With this design study, we want to generate reactions from car buyers to help us shape the next generation Fords of the future."