The Iosis Max is officially only a concept car but is actually the next-generation Focus hatch which is coming to Australia. Photo Gallery
The future of Ford Australia is finally real.
The small car the company will build at Broadmeadows from 2011, creating 300 new jobs and anchoring a major export drive, was revealed in Geneva yesterday.
The Iosis Max is officially only a concept car but is actually the next-generation Focus hatch which is coming to Australia.
It was previewed just days after GM Holden pulled the wraps off its compact Cruze at the opening of the Melbourne Motor Show.
The Cruze is also set for local production from 2010, although there will also be sales of an imported version from Korea within three months.
Ford Australia is reluctant to talk about its plans for the Focus, but admitted yesterday that elements of its design, aerodynamics and a new 1.6-litre four cylinder engine will make it into local production.
The Iosis Max provides a "strong pointer to what the next-generation Focus will look like", Ford spokesperson, Sinead McAlary, said.
"Some of the aspects of the design and engineering will certainly make it into production."
The Focus plan will see Ford build around 40,000 cars a year at Broadmeadows, with 15,000 set for export to Asia, in a move which should more than compensate for the downturn in demand for the home-grown Falcon and Territory.
It is a major switch for Ford, which has not had a locally-made small car since it ended production of the Laser in the 1980s and closed its factory in Sydney.
The design of the Iosis Max, which was a star on the opening day of the Geneva Motor Show, is much more dramatic than the current Focus but clearly linked to the style of the baby Fiesta.
Innovations include a two-piece tailgate to allow easier opening of the rear hatchback, innovative doors and extensive use of lightweight materials.
It is unclear how much of the concept car will survive for production, but the car's 1.6-litre EcoBoost sets a new standard for small-capacity, frugal fours.
It uses a start-stop system on the engine for economical city driving as well as a new automatic transmission and is claimed to have 20 per cent better economy than similar conventional motors.
McAlary said Ford Australia was still evaluating the new-generation engine in the show car.
"But we're certainly looking at it," she said.
McAlary said Ford had a history of designing concepts that eventually became production cars.
"If you look at the Verve concept, that then became the new Fiesta," she said.
The MAX also has a pedestrian-friendly bonnet that cushions the impact of a person on the car.
