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SPECIAL

Ford Territory

SPECIAL

Ford Territory

Sydney Motor Show 2001 - M-One-11 Escape ? a Mobile Launching Pad to Adventure

Staff, Thursday October 11, 2001.

Page 1 of 1

The innovative concept crosses over traditional boundaries, offering two-plus-two sports seating, off-road ability and an exposed rear cargo area that brings the outside in.

A joint project between the Ford design studio and youth sports fashion group, Globe International, the M-One-11 incorporates modern fashion fabrics and designs that are aimed at the next generation of 4WD buyers.

?The M-One-11 Escape is a unique concept because it is designed to create an emotional connection with future buyers rather than selling vehicles today,? SUV and Light Commercial Marketing Manager, Kevin Lillie said.

?The car taps into the transformation of youth culture in recent years. We believe it represents the 4WD that Generation Y (currently 10 to 24 year olds) will buy.

?They will be looking for a brand that reflects what is important to them: individualism, independence, fun, adventure and rebelliousness.?

With this in mind, the project was handed over to Ford?s younger designers.

?The project was an opportunity for our young designers to stamp their personality on the Ford brand,? he said.

Blurring the boundaries
The exterior design of the M-One-11 blurs the boundaries between four-wheel-drives and sports cars.

The designers have opened up the rear quarter of the vehicle by exposing the cargo area. The result is that the tailgate becomes a focal point for social interaction ? a mobile outdoor entertaining area.

The tailgate has been engineered to fold downwards with solid aluminium M-One-11 branded hinges, providing access right through to the front of the car.

The front and rear bumpers have been styled to give the car a more aggressive appearance on the road, while the inclusion of skid plates and integrated fog lamps give a fresh and modern interpretation of the Escape styling.

New rocker mouldings anchor the car to the ground while enhancing the sporting stance of the vehicle.

The rear of the vehicle also features cosmetic changes, with the rear bumper receiving similar treatment to the front.

The rear styling treatment is accentuated by the inclusion of a hand-machined solid billet aluminum exhaust extension.

Both front and rear bumpers have been painted in ?Stealth Black? from Dupont with ?Satin Alloy? highlights on the skid plates.

Ford-designed 18-inch x 7.5-inch alloy wheels with hand-cut tyres mix the rugged off-road look with a high-tech feel.

The most striking exterior design feature is the colour, ?All Day Long?.

The special paint, developed by Flex Industries in conjunction with HCA and PPG, uses unique SpectraFlair technology.

SpectraFlair is a breakthrough for exterior colours. By controlling the physical dimensions and surface microstructure, SpectraFlair pigment generates the appearance of multiple, bright rainbow producing prisms on a base color that appears silver.

It is the first time in the world that SpectraFlair has been applied on to a vehicle.

Inside-out
The interior of the M-One-11 Escape bears the styling hallmarks of Globe International?s popular sportswear brand, M-One-11.

M-One-11 creates clothing and equipment for alternative action sports such as skateboarding, motocross and snowboarding.

With integrated waterproof seating, innovative storage and creative lighting, the M-One-11 mirrors the lifestyle of the fashion conscious urban generation.

The styling theme for the M-One-11 is ?inside out?. External paint colours carry through to the interior, with materials, stitching and paint finishes inspired by M-One-11 fashions.

The main focus of the interior is the centre aluminium walkway that runs from the rear of the vehicle right to the front dash.

The seats are a mixture of full grain leather, perforated suede and fabrics reflecting urban youth culture. Coarse white stitching (inspired by M-One-11 footwear) is complemented by M-One-11 Escape embossing on door trims and seats.

Autotek built the Recaro seats according to Ford design specifications with attention given equally to the seat backs.

As the interior is clearly visible from the rear of the vehicle, the seat backs have become feature surfaces, painted with ?All Day Long? SpectraFlair paint and logos to integrate the interior and exterior styling.

The standard rear bench seat of the vehicle has been replaced with bucket Recaro seats from Autotek.

Ford has once again worked closely with Sony to provide an excellent audio-visual system that provides occupants with a total entertainment package.

The stereo system features a Sony Xplod CDX M70 Active Black Panel head unit that has been hooked up to a XM-1502SX Xplod amplifier (4 x 75watts) and XSL 1035 10-inch Xplod sub-woofer (600 watts). Both units are conveniently tucked away in the sidewalls of the rear boot area to maximise storage space.

Four door-mounted XSV 1635 M 6.5inch Xplod speakers complete the audio package.

The fun doesn?t stop there. The vehicle has also been fitted with a Sony Playstation 2, discreetly located under the front passenger seat. The inside of the centre console bin has been moulded to accommodate the PS2 hand controllers, which are easily accessible to both the front and rear passengers. Occupants of the vehicle can watch television or play PS2 in the car with a dash mounted Sony XLT 6100 MKT 6 inch TV unit.

Rear occupants don?t miss out with a XVM 61EX 6-inch TV mounted on the centre aluminum console that runs through the car.

A key feature of the reworked rear end is the new dynamic storage areas that have been created. The spare wheel has been removed and a specially-lit storage area has been created to house anything from a skateboard to a pair of roller blades.

The storage area is extremely durable and is made from hard frosted acrylic that can support the weight of people entering the vehicle from the rear.

M-One-11 carry bags are mounted to the sidewalls in the rear boot area. These bags are fully portable and held in place using magnets located in the bag.

Attention to detail has been one of the key drivers for the design of the vehicle. Branding is important to the vehicle?s target market and with that in mind, the M-One-11 Escape logo appears throughout the cabin on items such as the pedals, drink cups, seat belts and door hinges.

Designed by youth for youth
The M-One-11 Escape project was given to young designer Nick Hogios and consumer strategy planner, Robert De Filippo, who worked in conjunction with Sharon Gauci (Manager Colour & Trim) and Todd Willing to develop a car that represented the younger customer.

Hogios said the M-One-11 concept was a melting pot of street culture, lifestyle and transportation.

?We tried not only to bring the ?outside inside? with the exposed rear cockpit, but created a silhouette that blurred the boundaries between sports cars, SUV's, and conventional sedans,? he said.

?With the tailgate down, the rear of the car becomes a focal point for social interaction and outdoor activity with waterproof seating and innovative storage. Further forward in the cockpit, the latest in electronic entertainment boosts the fun factor.

?Both interior and exterior styling cues had to be contemporary, with colours and finishes that push the boundaries of established trends,?

Mr Lillie said the M-One-11 was the result of research into future buying trends.

?Research suggests that future 4WD buyers will be driven by different motives to today?s customer. The things that will be important to them are brand credibility, sports performance, individuality and style. They will also want personal styling and equipment options, including aftermarket modifications.

?It will be important that their vehicle doesn?t place boundaries on their lifestyle. The vehicle will need to handle off-road conditions but will also have to provide space for sports equipment like snowboards and wave boards.

?With its unique stereo and in-car entertainment system, its practical storage spaces, off-road ability and stylish looks, the M-One-11 Escape fits the bill,? he said.

Who is Globe
Globe International Limited is a multi-brand footwear, apparel and hardgoods ?Action Sports? company.

Launched in 1984 as an Australian skateboard distribution business, the company today has Australasian, North American and International divisions and holds a stable of proprietary, licensed and distributed brands.

Each of these labels is strategically targeted at specific sectors of the youth-based surf, skate and urban/street fashion markets, for both males and females.

Globe is active in the design, development and distribution of youth fashion, footwear and skate equipment.

Globe distribute youth fashion under a variety of successful and well recognised labels which include Mooks, Stussy, Freshjive, Ecko Unltd, Split, Independent, Mossimo and M-One-11 which all appeal to different sub-segments of the Generation Y target market.

About M-One-11 Since 1999, M-One -11 has been an influential force in street fashion with a range designed for men and women?s lifestyles through clothing, swimwear, footwear and accessories.

The M-One-11 look is sophisticated streetwear. It experiments with the latest fabrics and technology, inventing its own original concepts and bringing streetwear edge to the forefront of fashion.

With growing acceptance in the art, music and entertainment industries, it is a label that will continue to develop as a market leader in fashion and design.

Ford and Globe
The M-One-11 Escape is the first of a number of joint initiatives planned between Ford and Globe. The two brands will combine to present the World Cup of Skateboarding in February 2002.

SpectraFlair Pigment
SpectraFlair pigment is a new inorganic pigment with light diffractive properties manufactured by Flex Products Inc. It utilizes the light manipulating Color-by-Physics® technology developed by Flex Products. By controlling the physical dimensions and surface microstructure, SpectraFlair pigment generates the appearance of multiple, bright rainbow producing prisms on a base colour that appears silver.

SpectraFlair pigment is the first in a series of new ?diffractive pigments? being developed at Flex and represents yet another breakthrough in special colour effects from The ColorShift Leader.

Product Appearance
The combination of the rainbow-like color, aluminum core and fine particle size in SpectraFlair pigment creates an appealing iridescent, metallic appearance on a silver base colour. Products coated with SpectraFlair pigment have dramatic visual appeal. Because of the structure of SpectraFlair pigment, viewers see a smooth, continuously changing rainbow of colours. This effect is not possible with other special colour effect materials currently available. SpectraFlair pigment changes in appearance from a typical metallic paint in low illumination to vivid, shiny multiple rainbows in direct bright light.

Flake Structure
SpectraFlair pigment flakes have a surface microstructure that is formed by a series of parallel grooves (wave-like in appearance) spaced less than 1 micron apart. Both the distances between the grooves and the depth of the grooves have been engineered to maximize the colour effect in the visible spectrum. Each pigment flake is approximately one micron thick and has an average particle size of 20 micrometres, allowing high gloss and DOI in automotive coatings. The aluminum core provides hiding power, improving pigment utility. SpectraFlair pigment is the only inorganic pigment currently available that combines these properties into one robust, easy to formulate and apply product.

For further information contact:
Ford Australia Communications
Phone: 03-9359 8491

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