What’s this? A new Ford car? Actually, yes. A brand-new model carrying the blue oval badge made its debut last week at the Shanghai Motor Show. The Evos sedan looks like nothing so much as an evolution of the Fusion, and it is destined to remain confined to the Chinese market.
According to unnamed sources quoted by the Automotive News outlet, the Evos is not intended for North America or even for Europe. However, there are reports that Ford is internally considering debuting the model in some international markets later one.
The new car, to be produced n partnership with Changan Ford, is part of Ford's new "China 2.0" strategy to boost its declining sales in the Chinese market.
To do this, the manufacturer is banking on an aesthetic that it claims aligns closely with the tastes of Chinese motorists. It's the brand's first vehicle to be designed according to the "Progressive Energy in Strength" design philosophy, which results in a silhouette that blends the styling of a coupe with that of an SUV.
The Evos takes its name from an elegant sports coupe prototype unveiled at Frankfurt back in 2011. That concept vehicle inspired the design of the Ford Fusion, which ceased production at the Hermosillo plant in Mexico in July 2020.
The manufacturer has not yet revealed any technical data about the Evos, nor the date when it will be marketed. However, the company has shared information about the interior and the connectivity it offers.
The interior has everything to impress the North American motorist used to "small" digital screens. For this new sedan, the manufacturer uses a humongous 1.1-metre horizontal screen extending from door to door. It incorporates, among other things, a 12.3-inch information screen behind the steering wheel for the driver, and a 27-inch 4K touchscreen to its right. Thus the functions it performs are divided into two zones.
This massive screen comes alive with Ford's SYNC+ 2.0 infotainment system combined with artificial intelligence technology developed by Baidu. The combination gives access to the first virtual personal assistant offered by Ford in one of its vehicles.
In addition, like the Mustang Mach-E, the Evos can be equipped with the BlueCruise semi-autonomous driving system. And of course, there's the C-V2X (Cellular vehicle-to-everything) technology that connects vehicles to each other, to the infrastructure and to the people around them, to make traffic flow more smoothly and avoid accidents.
