Ford is reaching out to Internet-savvy Ford Flex customers by bringing the all-new Ford Flex to life on the web in a way that is as innovative as the vehicle itself. Through the use of high-tech, computer-generated imagery, consumers who visit the Flex website through www.fordvehicles.com can now experience the Flex in ways that could never be achieved with traditional photography.

CAD Data Replaces Photography
Using CAD-based (Computer-Aided Design) engineering data, Ford has created three 60-second digital animations that give a completely virtual three-dimensional tour of the interior, exterior and safety features of the Ford Flex. A fourth animation on vehicle handling will launch later this summer.

“When you shoot a vehicle with regular photography, you are limited with what you can show,” said Scott Kelly, Ford digital marketing manager. “When you use CAD data you can show and do just about anything.”

According to Kelly, Ford leads the industry in its use of virtual technology.

“Other automakers are offering video displays or interactive 360-degree vehicle views,” he said. “But no one is using computer-generated imagery to the extent that we are.”

Sizing Up a Virtual Flex
The Flex Web site also features an interactive component that allows visitors to literally “size up” the Ford Flex. Using the online tool, viewers can line the Ford Flex up to different objects, such as people, parking meters, and other vehicles to get an idea of how big — or small — the vehicle actually is.

“One of the biggest misconceptions consumers have about the Ford Flex is that it is either too big or too small,” said Eric Peterson, title. “This tool enables them to get a sense of its true size.”

At the official launch ceremony on June 3, 2008, Ford announced that its Ford Oakville Assembly Complex (OAC) will be adding 500 new jobs to keep up with the demand for the popular Ford Flex, which arrives in dealerships this summer. Crossover vehicles are part of the fastest-growing vehicle segment in North American this decade.

With a portfolio that includes Ford Flex, Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, Ford crossover growth in North American is the fastest in the industry for the last two years.

In the U.S., Ford Edge was the best-selling mid-size crossover in 2007 and is to date in 2008. In Canada, the crossover segment grew 89 percent in 2007 versus the previous year, and Ford of Canada sold more crossovers than any other manufacturer.

Instead of outsourcing seat design, the automotive industry norm, Ford created a dedicated seat engineering team within its Body Engineering division. Three Ford engineers – Qin Pan, Joanna Rakowska and Michael Medoro – spent months working with sophisticated virtual technology to design in-house vehicle seating that maximized both comfort and quality.

For the Ford Flex, the objective was to reflect the quiet luxury of the interior by reducing seat vibration. Using real-world road surface data, the Ford engineers could design mass dampers to counter a variety of road surfaces far earlier than ever before in the development stage.

While the new in-house seating technology has immediate benefits for Flex customers, soon the acquired learning building the F-Family Seats will be applied to a range of Ford vehicles from the Ford Focus to the new Ford F-150.

When designing the Ford Flex’s new in-vehicle refrigerator, Ford engineering created a cooling and freezing unit that not only performed as well as a standard home refrigerator, but was 40 percent faster. In freeze mode the refrigerator unit can chill two half-liter bottles of water from a room temperature of 77 degrees F (25 degrees C) to 41 degrees F (5 degrees C) in just two and a half hours.

While compact, the cooling unit holds seven 12-ounce cans, four half-liter bottles, two 20-ounce bottles or various fruits and vegetables. Hermetically sealed and well insulated, the refrigeration compartment keeps beverages or food cold, allowing no more than an 18 degree F (10 degree C) temperature rise over 175 minutes, just a few minutes short of three hours.

The Ford Flex’s new compressor-driven cooler offers customers the option of cooling or freezing, and eliminates the need for bulky post-purchase add-on refrigeration units. By maintaining the same outward console appearance with or without the fridge option, the Ford team designed a back seat console with no compromise to interior design integrity.

Visitors to the New York International Auto Show were witness to a live art performance by street artist and commercial illustrator Tristan Eaton. Throughout the opening weekend Tristan Eaton, founder of the creative agency ThunderDog Studios, used the Flex’s White Suede roof option to create colorful urban art pieces.

Show-goers watched the 29-year-old transform three full-size, sheet metal stampings of the Flex roof. The resulting one-of-a-kind “Cool Lid” art pieces will be on display in Ford’s Flex Studio Gallery from March 21st to 30th, 2008, joining three other previous creations.

The Tristan Eaton event was designed to build on the concept that the Ford Flex is a highly adaptable crossover vehicle that can be customized through a range of factory options including nine paint colors, two-tone roof, all-wheel drive, a multi-panel Vista roof and many other personalized choices.