Re*Move

Mad Men won't save Ford

I'm sitting here tonight trying to make sense of Ford's belief that the Fiesta Movement campaign is an example of the kind of social media that will translate into a successful Ford.

Here's a picture of what it's all about. A video by Parris Harris and Yoga Army, aka Phashion Army.

Fiesta Movement is getting quite the PR push at Ford right now and it'll only get worse as the December LA show draws near, when the Fiesta is actually launched in the US. What's the product? A car that Ford designed in Europe several years ago and launched there in autumn 2008. It hasn't even gone on sale yet in the US - it'll be a 2011 model year car.

This quote from an awesome Clay Shirky article earlier this year (about newspapers but don't worry about that) says why this is flawed, better than I ever can:

"Revolutions create a curious inversion of perception. In ordinary times, people who do no more than describe the world around them are seen as pragmatists, while those who imagine fabulous alternative futures are viewed as radicals. The last couple of decades haven’'t been ordinary, however. Inside the papers, the pragmatists were the ones simply looking out the window and noticing that the real world was increasingly resembling the unthinkable scenario. These people were treated as if they were barking mad. Meanwhile the people spinning visions of popular walled gardens and enthusiastic micropayment adoption, visions unsupported by reality, were regarded not as charlatans but saviors.

When reality is labeled unthinkable, it creates a kind of sickness in an industry. Leadership becomes faith-based, while employees who have the temerity to suggest that what seems to be happening is in fact happening are herded into Innovation Departments, where they can be ignored en masse. This shunting aside of the realists in favor of the fabulists has different effects on different industries at different times. One of the effects on the newspapers is that many of their most passionate defenders are unable, even now, to plan for a world in which the industry they knew is visibly going away."

The reality is that this is what's happening right now in much of the car industry. And I fear it's happening in Ford, too.

Fiesta Movement is an ad campaign - nothing more. The philosophy that ever more "sophisticated" marketing can solve problems. Web-savvy, video-producing creative people will transform Ford's brand image and reconnect it with a new generation. Meanwhile Ford, despite thinking it's had a terrible year, has had a lucky one. Both of its major US competitors have gone into bankruptcy. General Motors and Chrysler are probably fatally wounded.

Let's talk about real stuff - well electric cars, which aren't real yet, but will be soon. Even in a world short on EVs and high on rhetoric, Ford's current global 'electric' product range is weak - the company has one star car - the fantastic Fusion Hybrid - and a scattering of dated Escape and Mariner SUVs. The next generation? Ford has been hanging on the fence about which suppliers to use for a Focus EV – and unless there's a big surprise, we're still in limbo on that and much else as Ford insists the numbers don't add up. We're so, so far, from the car Ford really should build - an electric F150 truck. Parris and Yoga talk about Ford reconnecting with the American psyche. But Americans, beyond a few areas on East and West coasts, don't want small cars. Most of them don't even want cars. They want trucks.

But the guys who design trucks are seemingly sitting elsewhere right now, watching a football game. So cars is the only place where innovation is happening. As GM and Chrysler fade away, Ford's key competition in that zone is now global. And be in no doubt that the global competition is about to become truly formidable. Renault Nissan has the boldest strategy of all - we were there to see Renault blow everyone away at Frankfurt in September, with bold plans for four production pure-electric cars by 2011, and Nissan is deadly serious about its mainstream, mass-market Leaf, due in 2011, and undoubtedly the first global car that will shake the Prius out the tree it's got right now all to itself.

And that's just the start. Volkswagen is doing intriguing things with very efficient diesel vehicles, BMW's Efficient Dynamics strategy makes Ford's new EcoBoost petrol engines look pretty conservative. And that's before we talk about Honda, Toyota or anyone else.

I can't help but think that Ford will default to present Renault Nissan as the crazy radicals, imagining an unrealistic future. When the reality is Renault Nissan are the pragmatists, because they and others have the pieces in place to push ahead. They've forged partnerships with entire countries to roll out electric cars, while Ford is trialing 15 electric Focuses in Hillingdon in North London, and in patches around the US.

Right now Ford is not a global car company. It is a multinational car company - in fact the granddad of multinationals - with different product, management and marketing teams on different continents. And it thinks it can treat customers in different places in different ways. Imagine if Apple did that, fobbing off its American customers with a social media campaign, to launch a product it introduced in Europe over 12 months earlier. Advertising guys, dressing up social media as big change, would get nowhere. Customers would see through it right away.

"Imagine if Apple did that, fobbing off its American customers with a social media campaign, to launch a product it introduced in Europe over 12 months earlier."

Unless we get something better - unless we get genuinely great marketing - Ford faces slow decline. It's a long time since the ad guys alone could create a winning product.

Mark Charmer is founder of the Movement Design Bureau. Related reading:

The future of cars. Please? (December 2007)

Three New Shapes for Ford (April 2009)

Sue Cischke meet Dan Sturges. (April 2009)

Drew Smith on the car industry's failure to "do digital". (May 2009)

Bill Ford - man on a mission, man with a vision?

Bill Ford with his great grandfather's most famous creation

Bill Ford is a man on a mission. He’s currently championing the idea of raising gas taxes, something that just a few years ago would have been unthinkable for a car company boss to say. But we live in changed times. Chrysler is in bankruptcy protection, with GM perhaps shortly to follow, but Ford's balance sheet isn’t entirely rosy either with a net loss of $1.4Bn in the last quarter, and sales off 30 percent.  Scarier still, Porsche (most profitable car company in the world by reputation, trying to swallow – now merge with, VW) reportedly came close to bankruptcy for three days in March (schadenfreude anyone?). 

So why does Bill Ford think these are exciting times to be in the auto industry? Because what he has talked about for years – big and scary stuff, namely change – is now happening. Bill (Ford) is the guy who set Ford (Motor Company) on the path towards a more sustainable future. Doing things like hiring 'eco architect' William McDonough to rebuild the Rouge site was the start. He oversaw the hiring of Alan Mulally as CEO – a man from outside the auto industry, who had overseen the most radical restructuring of an industry’s development process (Boeing) that had been seen for 50 years. And now, the assembled team at Ford are bringing you the all-conquering Fiesta, a Fusion hybrid which out hybrids the Japanese, a real Taurus and the next euro-Focus, which you just know is going to be top of its class. Ford has a line of products people want. What it’s done, doing and thinking about is strong enough to get hard-bitten journalists like Jean Jennings – editor-in-chief of Automobile Magazine – talking about the firm like this:

But more than that – signs are even there that Ford’s daring to stick its head up above the gun turret and have a think about scary future concepts like car sharing, high-speed rail and mega cities. To which we say: get on with it guys!

The mood of optimism in Dearborn is palpable, but Ford must be careful not to appear smug. It is likely to benefit from the current difficulties its neighbours from across town are experiencing. Spend some time online and you might have noticed the brand throwing its weight around too. Ford recently ranked first among automotive brands in terms of Internet buzz. That’s thanks to campaigns like Fiesta Movement; and people like Scott Monty – who you’ll find here, there and everywhere in the world of automotive social media; not to mention them letting some weird guys from the UK in to interview top Sustainability and Design brass.

Ford's innovative 'Smartgauge' display screen debuted in the Fusion Hybrid - which Jean Jennings talks about in the video above

The path ahead is fraught with pitfalls. Having supported auto bailouts until now, John Fleming – Ford of Europe’s chairman – became a dissenting voice last week, suggesting that nationalistic bailouts to Europe’s other car makers (think French) were putting the company’s European arm at a competitive disadvantage. What’s more, few are convinced Americans want small cars, and building hybrid and electric vehicles is hellishly expensive. Compounding this is that if gas stays sub $2/gallon, no one’s buying small, and no one’s buying eco – which could prove problematic. No wonder Bill wants increased gas taxes. And while Ford and Toyota pursue ‘top-up’ plug in hybrids and pure electric vehicles, the Chevy Volt might still prove to be the ideal third way. Ford has a five-powertrain future strategy, covering petrol, diesel, hybrid, plug-in and pure EV - which tries to cover all possible bases - but it’s going to be hugely expensive to develop all of them well, especially considering uber-stringent diesel emission regulations, and the fact that you need different cell chemistries for hybrids, plug-ins and pure ev batteries.

One ace up Ford’s sleeve? Electric delivery. We launched our project on this last week, because we think it’s one of the biggest ‘win’ areas in transportation today. While everyone gets hung up on moving people around, it’s goods logistics and delivery which presents arguably a bigger problem – and a greater opportunity - right now. Clearly someone at Ford has realised this, and the electric version of the Transit Connect delivery truck will be arriving shortly, and we’ll be following it every step of the way to launch and beyond.

Risky Ford’s path may be, but the auto industry’s going to hell in a hand-cart right now, so someone has to stick their neck out. Bill Ford appears to have got a taste for doing that, which is why he’s enjoying the ride.  He clearly recognises the need for industry and regulators to work together, and understands the benefit in Ford sharing some of what it’s learnt so far (green roofed factories) and sharing risk in tomorrow's future strategies (city and electric power company partnerships). So 101 years after his great grandfather pretty much invented the auto industry, could Bill Ford re-emerge as ambassador and mouth piece for not only Ford - but the wider industry's future? Stranger things have happened.

Posted by Joseph Simpson on 26th May 2009

Images: Bill Ford: Ford media Others: Movement Design Bureau

Disclosure: Ford is sponsoring The Movement Design Bureau's design research work in 2009

The party's over

Above: The Ford and Firestone families taking tea - see the full table plan here (Henry Ford Museum)

If it gets much worse, the birds will probably stop tweeting.

Yesterday saw an American president take the unprecedented action of (essentially) firing the CEO of one of the country's largest corporations (GM) and giving another (Chrysler) just 30 days to live. He also mooted a ‘scrappage’-type scheme where drivers will trade in decade old (dirty) cars, to receive money off a shiny, (clean) new one. A similar programme has worked wonders for new car sales in Germany. We’re sceptical this is a good idea from an environmental point of view, but no one seems to want to talk about that right now – driving new car sales is paramount.

Today both Ford and GM launched a scheme, similar to Hyundai’s, to cover finance payments on new car purchases should the owner lose their job.  Will all of this be enough to kick start car sales? Possibly. Certainly it may just be enough to help those in better shape to ride out the current crisis.

The problem is that few people connected to the industry seem to want to look much further than the end of their own noses, even in these unprecedented times. All of the above news is intended to help the auto industry in the short term. It doesn’t solve some key long-term problems.

There is oversupply in the industry, on a systemic, worldwide level. Even with fewer factories and laid off workers, healthcare and pensions burdens will remain vast for the auto industry for years to come. The rate of change of digital technology is still progressing at a rate fundamentally out of step with the auto industry’s development processes, which in turn have difficulty mapping and staying congruent with consumer demand. A piece in today’s Guardian aimed at GM and Chrysler is entitled “Create the market you idiots” and doubtless consumers will echo that sentiment. For years the industry has conducted clinics and market research essentially asking consumers ‘what sort of vehicle do you want’. Predictably enough, cars designed by clinics and market research tend not to be winners, because consumers don’t usually know what they want until they’re shown it. The problem for the industry is that right now, nobody in control knows what consumers want, and what they do want changes with the prevailing wind.

Even if everything being done now results in the industry getting back on track, just what constitutes back on track? Is $250 profit from each car, and every consumer tied to a $250-per-month, three-year car loan, back on track? That’s how it’s been for the past five years, so one might speculate that if this qualifies as back on track, then the automotive train will be falling off the rails again within a couple of years.

The industry needs to respond to bigger, critical issues – like that brought up by The Mechanic’s blog on Edmunds today. Young people aren’t interested in cars anymore. That simplifies the situation too far, but it’s a problem that the likes of Nissan have identified, yet done little about. At 27, I see the issue first hand. I can count on one hand the number of my friends who own a car at all, and the only person I know who’s bought a brand new car in the last two years, I’m engaged to. Beyond that, what’s the industry’s answer to the fact that in big cities like Tokyo, Paris and New York – the wealth generating capitals – between 30 and 50 percent of citizens don’t own cars? Don't think this is important? Last year for the first time, more than 50 percent of the world's populations lived in cities. Think about the logic of this - the majority of people who could afford a car, are now city dwellers.

Time was when Honda were promoting themselves as more than just a car company, and as a mobility provider. Likewise, when Jac Nasser embarked on his CEO mission at Ford, he not only bought Land Rover, Volvo and co – but took Kwik Fit (auto spares and repairs) and Hertz (car rental) under Ford’s wing. Car companies were doing more than ‘just’ making cars.

Now, in the desperate rush for survival, cost cutting has come to the fore. All this nice, cuddly, big thinking and advanced stuff is heading for the bin. Car companies – we are told – must focus solely on building the cars that people want. Apparently they’re going to be powered by electric batteries, and look pretty much like the cars we have today. But that many of the car companies already build great vehicles, and that those that don’t probably soon will (or die), seems beyond doubt. The question is whether in focusing solely on making and selling cars, the car companies will fail to provide the real answers to the future of how people need and want to move around.

Posted by Joseph Simpson on 31st March 2009

Related reading: Boom, Busy and the Revival of Detroit (Mark Charmer, 5th December 2008)

Fiat + Chrysler - a marriage made in heaven?

Do the seagulls know something we dont? - Fiat and Chrysler (Chrysler owns Jeep - above) seems like an unlikely union

Fiat Auto Group’s deal to create a strategic alliance, and eventually take a 35% stake in ailing Chrysler, has been met with a mixture of despair and rejoicing by the wider automotive industry and its league of commentators.

MPG-omatic on twitter summed up the American mood, saying: “Fiat/Chrysler: USA wins with small cars/high-MPG diesels…Alfa = cherry on the top.” And in response to me suggesting the deal seemed not too clever, labovandbeyond responded “if it involves Fiat bringing the 500 stateside in any way, then we’re all for it.”

One of the best looking cars in white paint, Fiat 500 is already ubiquitous on roads of Europe

But what might it really mean? Unsurprisingly, America seems much more excited at the thought of affordable Italian metal than any European is at the thought of more Sebrings and Avengers. In essence, this is about Chrysler getting its hands on some efficient, small diesel (and probably petrol) engines (both a Fiat strong point), and on current, proven, (along with future) small car platforms. In part, this is so it can show congress it has a case for bail out money, and is viable as a company, come April. With both Ford and GM making big noises about bringing Fiestas and Sparks stateside very soon, Chrysler clearly thinks it needs to compete – but has nothing to offer – and one doubts it has either the cash, or the time to design anything from scratch itself. Fiat’s proven; successful small car platforms (once tweaked to pass US crash regs) could provide the answer.

Clearly, the deal has potential synergies. Chrysler makes big sedans, SUVs and pickups – Fiat doesn’t. Fiat makes fun, stylish small cars – Chrysler doesn’t. Fiat leads the world in turbo-diesel technology and is fairly hot on the future turbo-charged, advanced petrol engine stuff too. Additionally, in Alfa, it has a brand that attracts some of the greatest automotive love going – but currently lays largely untapped.

Gt1300 Junior (above) made it to the US...

...more recent group offering such as Alfa 166 and Lancia Delta (below - HPE concept form), haven't

  

So with obvious potential wins, why did the deal feel wrong to me on first viewing? Of all the automotive alliances, very few have worked well. Renault-Nissan springs to mind as a success, but a cursory glance over its current balance sheet hints otherwise. The VW group has had the greatest level of success with platform sharing out of any group, but until fairly recently, only really had Audi making reasonable money, and clearly still hasn’t a clue what to do with the likes of Seat.

Most troubling, is that technologically, Fiat and Chrysler have little to offer on the future drivetrain front, right now. If one buys into the idea that the automotive industry will be revolutionised in the next five-to-ten years, led by a movement away from the internal combustion engine, towards battery power – then this could present challenges.

Chrysler has been badly beaten up, under Daimler, then Cerberus, by the press – and in the minds of consumers. Few believe its electric car story is viable. And its way off the Japanese levels of quality and reliability Ford and GM have begun to hit. Most of its existing platforms are dated. Much about the company has a whiff of corpse about it.

Dodge EV concept had its third outing at NAIAS - still judged as little more than thinly veiled Lotus Europa with some "electric vehicle" stickers...

So what the hell is Fiat playing at? One answer could be that it has become so desperate for a global partner, so convinced that any auto group making less than 5.5M units a year will collapse in the present climate, that it has jumped into bed with Chrysler - turning a blind eye to the last three month’s worth of news. And yet… history suggests that we shouldn’t underestimate the Italians.

Sergio Marhcionne, Fiat group’s head, rescued the company from the brink before. Largely, he managed this thanks to some clever business dealings with another US based automotive firm, and by building products people wanted, and co-developing - or selling on - Fiat’s vehicle platforms. The only really plausible theory, therefore, is that Fiat is playing a canny game with this deal. As far as we know, it hasn’t paid Cerberus any money for 35% of Chrysler. In return it donates platforms it has already developed and paid for. Stunningly, one of those platforms – sitting underneath both the Fiat Panda and 500 - has already had part of its development paid for by another American firm - Ford – who use it underneath the European Ford Ka. Fiat therefore stand to get two different American car firms to pay for one car platform. Smart business, no?

In return for not spending any money, Fiat group gets access to some (old Merc) rear-wheel drive sedan platforms, a confusing line-up of Jeep SUVs, and the potential to share future development costs, and utilise economies of scale that come with doubling in size. So far, so-so.

Lancia Delta Integrale one of the company's all time great cars (not to mention icon of world rallying)... could the US market give Lancia a new raison-d'etre?

What’s far more important is that Chrysler gives Fiat a shortcut back into the US market. Long known to covet a return to the US, particularly for its Alfa Romeo brand, Chrysler gives Fiat access to over 3000 dealers, (which would be almost impossible for Fiat to build from scratch), and – potentially – some currently underused factories, in which to build cars. I suspect the US market could give Fiat a decent reason to keep its Lancia brand alive, too.

Of course, it’s not that simple – nothing in the car industry ever is, but if it sounds strange, delve deeper into Fiat’s GM story. Fiat teamed with The General – donating the diesel engines and providing European synergies, in return for the co-development of two of the platforms that might head America’s (and Chrysler’s?) way – the Grande Punto (which also sits under the Opel Corsa) and the Alfa 159/Brera (originally intended to sit under some SAABs). This latter platform is renowned in the industry as being over-engineered, over-weight and uncompetitive with the premium German brands due to its front wheel drive nature. Yet it’s also so tough and safe, that it would likely pass US crash regs with little, if any adjustment, and – to many people – underpins one of the best looking cars on the road today. 

Alfa Brera - overweight, and sadly front wheel drive - but a 'looker' for sure.

Crucially, Fiat was clever enough to write-in such a smart get out clause, that when GM wanted (and needed) out, the money it had to pay Fiat to disentangle itself, allowed the Italians to head-off the bailiffs from the doors of Mirafiori. One might muse that the real irony of this story, is that if Chrysler ends up using the Grande Punto platform under a future small car, then it would be using a vehicle developed by GM. Not that this makes it a bad platform… I speak with authority here, as a Grande Punto driver myself!

   

Grande Punto still one of best looking cars in the B-segment, even with daft sill extensions (right). Simpson's own car (left) looks much purer...

And perhaps that’s the reason this deal could work. Americans seem - for the most part – to be rejoicing at the idea of being able to buy cool, cheap, small and efficient Italian metal. If that really happens (and if it doesn’t then little here does make sense) then the US is in for a treat, and Fiat might just have pulled off the deal of the century – and have the last laugh, once again.

Photos: Joseph Simpson, except Dodge EV - Robb.Hunter (Robb Hunter) on flickr, Lanica Integrale - Charmermrk (Mark Charmer) on flickr, Lancia Delta HPE oriOn on flickr and blue grande punto, alfa 166, white 500 and Gt1300 Junior - all iwoaf (Nick Simpson) on flickr

Posted by Joseph Simpson on 22nd January 2009

An eye on Detroit: NAIAS '09 - Day 1

Keeping an eye on the competition in Cobo today... guess which manufacturer's car this is from?

Judging by the response of some auto makers, you'd have thought this year's Detroit autoshow wouldn't be worth the effort. However, judging by twitter chatter, mainstream news coverage and the response of people on the ground, hell hasn't actually frozen over (its only Detroit's pavements) and those that ventured to the Cobo Hall today for the start of the North American International Auto Show 2009, were rewarded with some treats and surprises.

This show was always going to be about certain North American manufacturers proving to a skeptical American public they deserved bailout money, and for every other manufacturer, a chance to prove the auto industry wasn't actually on its knees, and could still deliver the vision, and kick-ass products that would make people open their wallets.

It started slowly, but over the day, momentum built... General Motors kicked things off unveiling a bland new Buick, and a Cadillac SRX Crossover that didn't set anyone's pants on fire. But the real big news was never going to be about these cars - and sure enough, the General used NAIAS as an opportunity to build on its good press with the Chevrolet Volt, and make the most of its E-flex, plug-in hybrid vehicle architecture. Renamed "Voltage" today, it sat under a new, rather crisp looking Cadillac Coupe callled the "Converj" (which tied for 'crap name of the day' with Kia's "Soulster").

Cadillac Converj, and a 'not the actual production car yet', Chevy Beat

But GM wasn't quite done at that, and made a slightly bizarre "reveal", which actually wasn't. It announced that the Chevy Beat, one of three baby cars shown a year or so ago, had received the public's blessing to be its new north American small car. It is to be put into production in 2011, known as the "Spark". However, we say it was bizarre, as GM showed the original Beat concept on their stand, and had just one photo of the new Spark on a big display screen. Although too early to judge fairly, in the photo, it looked less funky than the Beat, and a little clunky compared to its big competitor, the Fiesta, which Ford brings Stateside in 2010...

Speaking of Ford, they appeared to be having a rather good show. Not only was the new Taurus well received by mainstream auto press, but it made a big (some would say shock) announcement about electrification of its range - with four new cars - regular and plug-in hybrids, plus a pure battery electric vehicle, all due in the next three years. Interestingly, some of these will be based on the next Focus platform, which means they could be seen in both the US and Europe. Most interesting to us was how Ford played up its partnership with those outside of the automotive world, such as power and research companies, and how it says it is working with specific cities on the development of these vehicles. We hope to have more on this in the next couple of days and to interview some of those behind the announcement, so if you've any questions about Ford's announcements, please add them in the comments below.

Alan Mulally on stage, announcing Ford's big electric news

Alan Mulally, Ford's CEO, drove onto the stage in a -suitably coloured- green Fiesta to make this announcement, and we're intrigued by "The Fiesta Movement" Ford has launched in relation to the model, which apparently sees 100 Fiestas put into the hands of people with 'strong' web presence, before they're launched in the US. Throwing the green bathwater out with the eco baby on the Ford stand though, was the new Shelby 500 Mustang. It gets the prize for "Most brooding-looking vehicle of the day":

You'd get out of its way if you saw it in your mirrors, wouldn't you?

Completing the trio of domestic manufacturers was Chrysler, who once again showed that EV, which looks rather like a Lotus Europa covered by a "wafer-thin mint" sized Dodge badge and some EV stickers, which it promises will be on sale by 2012. If I were a betting man, I'd probably put money on Lotus themselves turning out pure EVs before Chrysler do... but most people seemed to think that Chrysler might have been better off concentrating on making their production cars look a little more like its surprising, and rather attractive-looking 200C EV concept.

Chrysler contrasts - third outing for Dodge EV concept (nee. Lotus Europa); rather good looking 200C

The Germans had still turned up in Detroit in their droves, with all of the major manufacturers except Porsche in attendance and unveiling concepts today. BMW had obviously heard there was something on the show agenda about the greening of automobiles, but appeared not to have realised no one's into SUV crossovers anymore, so showed an X6 Active Hybrid. If you haven't seen an X6 on the road yet, you'll know about it when you do, as the photo below from Mark shows. You don't truly appreciate how big it is until you see it next to something else (as Mark says, "don't believe the scale is a matter of perspective in this pic")...

 

Still, BMW took the opportunity to be serious and launch its new Z4 - a replacement for the car which got the world all a-fluster about Chris Bangle and 'Flame surfacing'. While that surface language is now officially dead, the new one still isn't without its creases and kinks. It appears to be, like many modern cars, somewhat 'colour sensitive' - showing off much better in the dark blue, than champagne.

Put me down for a blue one please...

It's always amusing to watch how announcements are reported. While the world seemed to be getting excited over the idea of Toyota 'beating the Volt to market' - with the Japanese company's announcement they'd lease 500 plug-in hybrids in 2009, everyone seemed to have forgotten that, using the same matrix, BMW has beaten them both to it with its Mini E - on show again here. Surely, anyone who's watched the film "Who killed the electric car" would hesitate to classify a car that's simply part of a manufacturer test fleet (the Toyota plug-in), and a car anyone can buy (the Volt) in the same arena?

A reminder from BMW Mini, of what the future car seems likely to be powered by...

Indeed, green poster-child Toyota is in danger of being eclipsed by a bunch of manufacturers before long. A new Prius is launched tomorrow, but this time it won't have the market to itself, with the likes of Honda's Insight on the way. We were disappointed too, that Toyota's EV concept, the FT-EV, had turned the clever, funky-looking iQ into a bit of a micro-van lookalike. I'm interested in really starting to ask serious questions about what electric cars, and advanced hybrids should look like. And it's disappointing to think they might all be Prius-a-like...

Toyota FT-EV concept, is an iQ in disguise

A car that was about as aesthetically far removed from the Prius as it's possible to get, but which still played up its green credentials, was the VW Bluesport roadster. Robb felt this looked a little predictable, even stale - something Darryl Siry attributed to TT-similarities. But then it appeared that VW's stand girls might have helped Robb change his mind... ! Slightly odd orange hood apart, this was VW proving that it could do good, clean fun - and that it was still top of the tree when it came to interiors and detailing.

VW Bluesport, some models, and detailing

Still, we could just be hallucinating about this VW due to the strength of the lighting rig the Germans had employed on their show stand. This brought about 'tweet of the day' from @commutr, who summed up the situation by saying "Maserati, Aston Martin and Tesla have saved money on lighting by being next to VW. The sun is less bright. :)"

VW Stand: "The sun is less bright"...

My car of the day though, was the final unveil, the Volvo S60 concept. We haven't had time to upload the photos yet, and it's really the interior you need to see... but if Volvo's are going to look this sexy in the future, then I want one... Check out pictures like this and this to see what I mean.

"If Volvo's are going to look this sexy, then I want one"

Stay tuned for continued coverage - and some interviews and video tomorrow.

Full photoset from today here.

Posted by Robb Hunter on the show floor in Detroit, and Joseph Simpson watching on the web in London. You can follow our ongoing coverage of the show and thoughts on twitter - @potatowedge, @JoeSimpson, @CharmerMark.

All Photos by Robb Hunter - Potatowedge on Flickr

Disclosure: Ford is sponsoring the Movement Design Bureau's design research work in 2009.

All material, including photographs, is licensed as Creative Commons Share Alike 3.0. Please feel free to copy, distribute and adapt the material within the terms of this license.