Ford unveils the Start concept car

The Ford Start Concept features a 1.0-litre 3-cylinder EcoBoost engine which Ford says will produce the same power as an equivalent inline four-cylinder engine, with the unit mated to a six-speed manual transmission to maximise fuel economy.

The Start was designed as an ultra-compact car for dense urban environments, and features highlights such as laser-cut LED lights as well as two other sets of running lamps. "Our ambition with the Ford Start Concept was to design a car that goes beyond the practical realities of commuting in these mega cities," said Ford's director of design Freeman Thomas, while Ford's design chief J Mays added, "We didn't set out to design some sort of utilitarian concept to save the world, nor were we interested in following the competitive trend toward an overly noisy design language."

Inside, the Ford Start Concept features what the company calls a MyFord Mobile Concept port on top of the dashboard, which provides hands-free driver/car integration and an interactive 6-inch display screen. Ford explains that even without a smart phone, most of the Start's standard functions have now evolved to both analogue knobs/buttons on the dash and voice-activated controls.

With a smart phone though, the MyFord Mobile Concept system puts the driver in direct communication with any services on the phone via voice control. Even with the car off, people can have access to a variety of functions, such as the radio, air con, texting, and other utilities one can use safely while parked. Ford is pitting the Start Concept against the likes of the Fiat 500, and plans to sell the car in "the world's top 20 mega-cities", and places with a "trend toward mass urbanization"