A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but when it comes to the SYNus concept one of the words that does not come to mind is ''tiny,'' but it's a key word because it helps you understand that this future production model is a lot more cute than threatening.
SYNus is after all a sub-compact station wagon, not a hulking SUV, and in those proportions it looks wholly unthreatening, even though its design inspiration is said to be bank vaults and armored cars.
It's so small, it looks like one of those models for kids that has a motor and everything but is too slow to be taken on the road by adults. But this car will be road-worthy, using a British model called the Fiesta as its base. Cars this small are almost unknown in North America, though this is apparently going to change.
Ford says that when the production version arrives in 2007 or 2008 it will be aimed at those members of the youth market who are joining the current move back to urban areas from the suburbs and are, presumably, looking for something tough-looking to bolster their confidence.
Ford says SYNus is ''compact enough to maneuver through congested streets yet bold enough to run with the big dogs at the same time.'' As for the car's size, Ford reckons that, since the majority of consumers will live in urban areas by 2010, ''the time may finally be at hand for the B-car market in North America.''
SYNus tries to protect its consumers with more than a tough look. When parked and placed in secure mode, SYNUS deploys protective shutters over the windshield and side glass. Small windows on the flanks and roof are non-opening and bullet-resistant, and the rear hatch has no window at all.
SYNus concept is supposed to signal security through its use of a driver-side, dial-operated combination lock on the B-pillar, while the rear hatch is operated via a vault-style four-spoke spinner.
Flat glass in a slightly raked windshield furthers the armored-car look of this concept, and Chief designer Jose Paris says the bold wheel arches ''make a design statement as well as accommodate the vehicle's exceptionally wide track.''
SYNus is considerably different on the inside, Paris says, as that is meant to be ''a warm, welcoming private sanctuary in contrast to the cold, perhaps cruel, world outside the car.''
The front seats are identically shaped and padded on both the front and rear faces. Each seatback can slide from back to front, Paris says, allowing one or both of the front seat occupants to face rearward.
This arrangement could turn the SYNus to become a conversation pit, with personal interaction between front and rear occupants. The exterior might suggest a discussion about a mortgage application would be most appropriate, but any topic would do.
While the rear seat can accommodate two passengers, it also can fold flat to become a cargo area.
Paris says the colors, shapes and materials throughout the inside of the concept were also chosen to ''emphasize the sense of warmth and welcome,'' so it's definitely not a bank interior then.
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It's so small, it looks like one of those models for kids that has a motor and everything but is too slow to be taken on the road by adults. But this car will be road-worthy, using a British model called the Fiesta as its base. Cars this small are almost unknown in North America, though this is apparently going to change.
Ford says that when the production version arrives in 2007 or 2008 it will be aimed at those members of the youth market who are joining the current move back to urban areas from the suburbs and are, presumably, looking for something tough-looking to bolster their confidence.
Ford says SYNus is ''compact enough to maneuver through congested streets yet bold enough to run with the big dogs at the same time.'' As for the car's size, Ford reckons that, since the majority of consumers will live in urban areas by 2010, ''the time may finally be at hand for the B-car market in North America.''
SYNus tries to protect its consumers with more than a tough look. When parked and placed in secure mode, SYNUS deploys protective shutters over the windshield and side glass. Small windows on the flanks and roof are non-opening and bullet-resistant, and the rear hatch has no window at all.
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Flat glass in a slightly raked windshield furthers the armored-car look of this concept, and Chief designer Jose Paris says the bold wheel arches ''make a design statement as well as accommodate the vehicle's exceptionally wide track.''
SYNus is considerably different on the inside, Paris says, as that is meant to be ''a warm, welcoming private sanctuary in contrast to the cold, perhaps cruel, world outside the car.''
The front seats are identically shaped and padded on both the front and rear faces. Each seatback can slide from back to front, Paris says, allowing one or both of the front seat occupants to face rearward.
This arrangement could turn the SYNus to become a conversation pit, with personal interaction between front and rear occupants. The exterior might suggest a discussion about a mortgage application would be most appropriate, but any topic would do.
While the rear seat can accommodate two passengers, it also can fold flat to become a cargo area.
Paris says the colors, shapes and materials throughout the inside of the concept were also chosen to ''emphasize the sense of warmth and welcome,'' so it's definitely not a bank interior then.