As the name suggests, the Ford Airstream concept takes its inspiration from the Airstream caravan, which is something of an American icon. The Ford concept features reflective paintwork and an overall shape not that dissimilar to a caravan, along with 12 rivets paying homage to the riveted aluminium shells adopted by the Airstream company. Though Ford calls the concept a crossover vehicle, it really is just a modern day VW Bus and is similarly aimed at people that like to travel.

It's a look into the future though and the style reflects this, with the unique window shapes rimmed in a vivid orange colour and a futuristic interior trimmed in bright white and "cosmic red". The show car features a version of the dual-screen infotainment system utilised in the Jaguar C-XF concept and a floating instrument panel with flush-mounted, touch-sensitive controls. The driver and front passenger sit on pod-like seats that hark back to the '60s while rear passengers lounge in a sofa. In between is a 360-degree screen that looks like something straight out of a science fiction movie. It displays videos and games, can act as a modern-day lava lamp or even set the mood with lighting.

That's all very much in keeping with a proper concept car, but the Airstream's most important feature is well hidden, as it is powered by a new propulsion system Ford has under development for production. Titled 'HySeries Drive', it is an advanced hybrid system that uses a fuel cell as a mobile generator for the lithium-ion batteries that power the wheel-driving motors. That may sound fanciful, but it's on the way. Ford already has this system under test in a Ford Edge crossover, though the fuel cell is hydrogen-fuelled and there is no sign of an infrastructure to support this technology just yet.

Shane O' Donoghue - 10 Jan 2007