Ford will revive more of its iconic nameplates for future models.
During a recent interview with Autocar, Ford’s European design chief Murat Gueler said that while Ford won’t follow the likes of Renault, Honda, and Nissan by designing cars with retro-inspired designs, it could look to its past for naming inspiration.
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“There’s a lot of stuff coming from China which is very competitive, and the Koreans are already very competitive with beautiful designs and strong technology, so the question for manufacturers like Ford is ‘how do you position yourself?’,” he said. “I think we have the unique asset of having nameplates from the past that we can tap into to emotionalize our product and to tell stories no other brand can tell.”
Gueler used the example of the Ford Mustang Mach-E of how applying an iconic name to an all-new model “gives a gravitas to the product which maybe otherwise wouldn’t exist.”
Ford Europe’s design chief didn’t say what nameplates it could revive for future models but described the use of classic names as “an opportunity for Ford to distinguish itself from the bombardment of electrification that’s coming…There is opportunity with nameplates that you can really refresh and execute in the right way to distinguish yourself from others,” he added.
Recent Ford models to revive old nameplates include the Puma, Kuga, and, of course, the Bronco. The same report suggests that the compact electric SUV Ford is set to release in 2023 could revive an old nameplate, pointing towards Capri and Probe as two possibilities.
