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Thursday May 21, 2009
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See the leather door panel with near-perfect stitching on that 2010 Ford? It's not leather, but that's no surprise, when you can make vinyl fabric and plastics look like leather. The one held up by Ford interior design manager Lon Zaback is actually spray-molded polyurethane: plastic sprayed in multiple steps into a mold, then peeled off when dry. The process is good enough to recreate leather stitching or (this example isn't on cars) overlay a lifelike zipper and zipper pull onto faux leather.
All of this is what physicist and Ford staff technical specialist Mahendra Dassanayake calls "the democratization of technology," or finding ways to match or improve what a Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, or BMW does in its cars for half the cost. For instance, where BMW uses a costlier transflective display to keep its navigation screens from washing out in sunlight on its convertibles, Ford is starting to use a simpler micro reflective layer behind a traditional TFT display. Ford recently held a media event in New York and showcased several other
technologies it's working on that together put a common "Ford DNA"
imprint on Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles. More after the jump.
That means the sound of
a door closing, the tone of a seat belt chime, or the feel of a switch,
should be similar across the Ford line. Mostly that's good; sometimes
it isn't. Many Fords and Lincolns have the same steering wheel buttons
and that Ford DNA is hollow and cheap and the back side can share your
fingernail; Ford says that particular layout, where every button is
almost indistinguishable from the others, is being phased out. Other examples of Ford DNA and Ford's democratization of technology:
- Ford is working on a head-up display substantially cheaper that the $1,000-$1,200 HUDS now on the market. Most HUDs now show speed, navigation arrows, or radio channels; Ford says it could provide a navigation map or the image from a night vision camera.
- The Multi-Contour seat on the 2010 Ford Taurus with Active-Motion provides subtle changes in the seat bottom (using inflatable bladders) that prevent fatigue on long trips. Expensive cars have it as a high-end option; Ford is putting it in mid-price cars.
- Ford is using LED accent lighting that can be adjusted to provide multiple colors. Blue lighting at night can help keep drivers more alert, green can be relaxing, and blue-white feels luxurious. On youth-oriented sporty cars, the color intensity can be dialed up.
The spray polyurethane molding process is so good that Ford can and in some cases does include the imperfections you'd see in natural leather, such as the stresses on a piece folded over itself to form a corner.
Posted By:
Bill Howard
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May 23, 2009 10:50 PM
While material improvement is great, seats need to be addressed for comfort and durability. I regularly drive a 2005 Freestar and the driver's seat is absolutely sub par. There was no lumbar support like my Dodge has and the padding in the seat back started breaking down so the edges of the frame protrude at about mid back. Driving 300 mi in a day if I don't have a cushion causes a sore tailbone.
I hope your current seats are better and more durable.
Now all that said, I appreciate that Ford is the only company not on the Government dole and as long as that continues, my next new vehicle will be a Ford.
May 24, 2009 7:22 AM
My comment is that I think FORD has a "better idea" as usual. I am on my way to buying a Fusion and happy to support Ford Motor Company!
GO FORD!