24·7 designed to help consumers navigate the day

Ford Motor Company's 24·7 concepts promise to do for personal transportation what the day planner and computer have done for the office - help people manage their increasingly scarce time through maximised efficiency.

The 24·7 concepts are designed to redefine the relationship between the user and the automobile. Wrapped in a simple, functional designs, the highly interactive 24·7 concepts incorporates advanced communications and telematics technologies that provide drivers and passengers with access to information, people and places 24 hours a day, seven days a week - thus the car's name.

"Meeting consumer needs requires reaching beyond the traditional boundaries of reliable, functional transportation," says J Mays, Ford Motor Company vice president of Design. "Time is becoming more valuable and scarce, and we are forced to use our time more efficiently. 24·7 goes beyond mere transportation by becoming part of consumers' lifestyles and providing a tool to help navigate the day."

The 24·7 consists of three derivatives - each designed for different lifestyles but all with common technologies that help consumers manage time. The 24·7 wagon is the ideal family vehicle that blurs that boundaries between the traditional station wagon and conventional sport utility vehicle. It is functional yet can be personalised to the needs of each of the different family members. The 24·7 pickup is ready for any user adventure - whether it is climbing rocks by day or listening to a favorite band at night. The 24·7 coupe is urban transportation for people who never miss a beat, whether at work or at play.

The exterior design of each of the 24·7 vehicles is deliberately simple and absolutely functional. The precise lines and machined surfaces give the vehicles a technical look and feel that complement the advanced technologies that make 24·7 such a revolutionary approach to personal transportation.

Inside and underneath the skin of the vehicles are highly advanced communications and telematics technologies. Developed by Visteon Automotive Systems, the technologies include voice technology that allows drivers to set controls and make phone calls with voice commands. In addition, a voice-activated Reconfigurable Projected Image Display allows the driver to customise the instrument panel by changing the speedometer, fuel gauge and clock with simple voice commands. Also, a new advanced lighting system provides instant illumination and lighting that lasts the lifetime of the vehicle. With these technologies, 24·7 can provide consumers access to e-mail, hands-free mobile phone, real-time route assistance, weather reports and customised stock market tracking.

"24·7 not only moves people physically from point A to B," says Mays. "This new concept is designed to move people emotionally and electronically."

While still only a concept, the 24·7 provides broad hints about how Ford Motor Company's future design direction ties to the company's strategy to be the world's leading consumer company for automotive products and services. It also showcases Ford's latest telematics and communications technologies, some of which will begin appearing in production vehicles this year.

"To lead in automotive products and services, we know that we have to forge even closer links with consumers," Mays explains. "As we look to the future, the personalisation of vehicles and meeting specific needs of small groups of consumers will become more important. The 24·7 and all of the advanced telematics and communications technologies that it features are a glimpse of where we are headed."

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