Beijing Auto Show: Ford's Fiat 500-fighting Start Concept

Debuting at the Beijing International Auto Show, Ford's Start Concept is being advertised as the first true concept from Ford in three years.

Design messiah J Mays explained the Start's slippery lines: "We didn't set out to design some sort of utilitarian concept to save the world, nor were we interested in following the competitive trend toward an overly noisy design language." Right on.

Powering the Start Concept is a 1.0 liter, 3-cylinder "near-production" Ecoboost engine. With an emissions target of below 100g/km, output comparable to that of a 4-cylinder, and a 6-speed manual transmission, the Start looks like a technological home-run. And that's before you see the sporty, minimalist, tech-heavy interior.

Inside, people will see more hints at the future of Ford's city car game (i.e. the next-gen Ford Ka), such as the MyFord Mobile Concept port on top of the dashboard providing hands-free driver/car integration and an interactive 6-inch display screen.

Ford goes on to explain that even without a smart phone, most of the Start's standard functions (HVAC, passenger airbags, engine idiot lights) have now evolved to both analog knobs/buttons on the dash and voice-activated controls.

Connect a smart phone, though, the Matrix-jack-in-your-neck factor goes WAY up. The MyFord Mobile Concept system puts the driver in direct communication with any services on the phone via voice control. Even with the car off, people can have access to a variety of functions (most likely radio, A/C, texting, and other utilities one can use safely while parked).

The target audiences for this cute little 500-fighter are the populations of "the world's top 20 mega-cities", places with a "trend toward mass urbanization". With fancy, laser-cut LED headlights, a bunch of tech, and a cool, retro-sport interior, urbanites will no doubt be drooling all over this. Where's my bib?

By Phil Alex