Ford Motor Company - digital snippets
FORD FLEX
2009 Ford Flex

FORD FLEX


The 2009 full-size crossover moves people.

The 2009 Ford Flex is made for people. Seating up to seven passengers, it features a bold design, a roomy interior, and a quiet, powerful ride. Picking up some friends and their gear? Ford Flex offers a functional mix of interior seating and storage configurations.

On road trips, the journey is as important as the destination. The Flex full-size crossover takes you anywhere in maximum comfort, safety and style – whether it’s to the local arena, or across the country.

Ford Flex Media Kit

Ford Flex Digital Animation

Ford Brings Virtual Technology to the Web

Flex

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.”

Released 2008-06-20

MADE IN OAKVILLE

The 2009 Ford Flex is set to roll off the Oakville Assembly line.

Mark Fields At The 2009 Ford Flex Celebration

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.

Released 2008-06-04

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EasyFuel Capless Fuel-Filler System

Ford makes filling up easier

2009 Ford F-150 FX4

The EasyFuel™ Capless Fuel-Filler System eliminates the gas tank screw cap for more simple fuel fill ups. No more gas odor on hands or gloves, or the unwanted amber dash light because the gas cap wasn’t screwed on tightly enough.
In addition to eliminating these hassles, EasyFuel helps reduce evaporative emissions that create smog and contribute to global warming. Spring-loaded tabs pull back a flap in the filler neck when the pump nozzle is inserted. When fueling is complete, and the nozzle is removed, the system automatically seals shut.

EasyFuel™ was introduced on the 2008 Ford Explorer. It will be standard equipment on the new Ford F-150, Flex and Lincoln MKS in 2009. The system will be offered on the entire Ford, Lincoln and Mercury product line by 2010.

Released 2008-05-05

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SIRIUS TRAVEL LINK

Customers get up-to-the-minute information and entertainment content at their fingertips.

SIRIUS technology

SIRIUS Travel Link™ technology provides customers with a valuable tool that can be used daily to get just-in-time details about traffic, current weather conditions, gasoline prices, movie theater details and sports updates. The system will be available on several 2009 models including Ford Flex, F-150, and Lincoln MKS.

Specifically, Travel Link delivers:

Fuel Prices – Customers can pinpoint and organize fuel options from over 120,000 gas stations alphabetically, by distance or by price.

Movies - With Travel Link, Ford owners can access film times, theater locations, ratings and run length details from over 4,500 movie theaters.

Sports - NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, NCAAF, NCAAB, and golf scores and schedules are now at customers’ fingertips. Drivers and passengers can customize Travel Link to provide info from selected teams.

Traffic Data – Now drivers can avoid traffic jams with SIRIUS Travel Link’s instant access to real-time traffic speed and flow data with accident and incident updates.

Weather - SIRIUS Travel Link allows Ford customers to stay on top of invaluable weather information including current conditions, five-day forecasts, coast-to-coast weather data and detailed storm cell information, hurricane and tropical storm tracking, local wind speeds, and even ski resort conditions.

Released 2008-05-05

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NEW F-FAMILY SEATS DEBUT IN FORD FLEX

In-house seat design ensures comfort and quality.

2009 Ford Flex - Detail

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.

Released 2008-04-15

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PHOTO UPDATE

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Mark Fields with 2009 Ford Flex Crossover in New York

VIDEO UPDATE

QUOTATIONS

“Tristan Eaton’s art is as fresh and provocative as the new Flex. Flex is like nothing else on the road. It stands out, just like Tristan. You never know where his style will turn up next, but it’s going to turn heads and change minds, just like Flex.”
Usha Raghavachari, Ford CUV Marketing Communications Manager

“Look at how a person picks out a suit or a piece of furniture, reflects their personalities. If a person has a certain style about them, they don’t check it at their car door, it carries from their office to their wardrobe to their briefcase to their cell phone or PDA. The boundaries between automotive design, fashion, and industrial design are blurred.”
Anthony Prozzi, Ford Flex Interior Designer

“The third row is roomy enough for any passenger. Nobody travels coach-class in this vehicle.”
Peter Horbury, Executive Director of Design, Ford

“Imbuing a seven-passenger vehicle with some emotion is a tall order… [but] the Ford Flex is a stunner.”
J Mays, Ford’s Group Vice-President and Chief Creative Officer

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