Ford is no longer willing to sell him an old-fashioned three-box sedan. But if you live in China, it will give you something that vaguely resembles one, called Evos.
The Evo was revealed at the Shanghai Motor Show yesterday, alongside some other models only in China (including a review of the Escort – the name is still alive!) The Evo was developed for China, will debut in China and the Blue Oval is not planned to take it to the US or Europe. But while we won’t get this particularly elongated hose around the forest neck, we should recognize the Evo as a taste of what’s to come. Because this is almost as close to this abandoned body style as Ford is already willing.
In profile, the Evo is the most crossover cross I think I’ve ever seen because it doesn’t fit perfectly into any category. Although he shares many clues with the Mustang Mach-E, Evos is not an electric vehicle, so it has longer front and rear overhangs with a more pronounced hood and a disproportionately short cab. Outwardly, the design doesn’t seem particularly space efficient, although it’s a bit difficult to judge by the images.
If the Evo were lower and dropped the hatch, it would be a sedan. Conversely, if the roof line extended a little further before leaving, it would be a wagon. But as it stands, the Evo is neither here nor there, and fits the crossover label perfectly. It is “alternative rock” in the form of automotive.
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Ford says Evos is its “first vehicle developed largely by a team based in China,” courtesy of a new joint venture with Chinese firm Changan Automobile. Like the Mach-E, it’s based on Ford’s fully networked vehicle I / O system, which offers upgrades for antenna and BlueCruise Level 2 technology to drive hands-free on “prequalified stretches of split freeways”. Also included is C-V2X vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, which will be particularly crucial to advancing autonomy in China’s urban centers.
The focus on technology is developed until the inside with a solid glass slab that stretches across two screens, consisting of a 12.3-inch panel for the digital instrument panel and a 27-inch 4K touchscreen for everything else. They are separated by an edge, but the general effect is reminiscent of end-to-end screen Byton was going to offer in his cars. (And still, has anyone heard from Byton lately?)
Ford says this entertainment system, based on Sync + 2.0, leverages Baidu’s work in artificial intelligence, capitalizing association between the two that have been done for years. Reading between the lines, it is clear that Evos is the product of many collaborations with Chinese manufacturing and technology companies, designed exclusively to capitalize on this market. Jot no it is surprising that the car is not destined for the West.
That said, don’t be surprised to see a Ford that looks a lot like the Evo in your local showroom in the coming years. Sightings of what is intended to be the next Ford Mondeo in Europe suggests that the sedan will be reincarnated as a crossover in its next life, and there have been rumors that Ford could do the same with the Fusion in North America. Welcome to the sedan of the future.