Ford of Europe will tap into its long history to sell future EVs as it looks to revive names like Capri. Despite the old school monikers, it will not be tempted to create retro-modern vehicles, and refuses to be bound by history.
Reports indicate that Ford’s next European EV will be called the Capri and will be the second that the automaker bases on Volkswagen’s MEB electric vehicle platform. In a recent interview with Autocar, Ford’s head of European design, Amko Leenarts, said that reviving classic nameplates will be an important tactic for the brand.
Leenarts told the outlet that the automaker is looking to capitalize on the “the tension between something that’s got the equity of an older name” with a new design interpretation. He added that, because of its age, Ford is blessed with a “unique perspective that nobody else has.”
Read: Ford Turns VW ID.4 Into Explorer EV For Europe
Ultimately, he said that he believes “the public loves that we’re bringing back nameplates to new territories.” And new territories they will certainly be, because Leenarts has no interest in designs that are too reverent to the classic vehicles they once graced.
“Retro designs aren’t moving us forward,” he said. “It’s always about totally new interpretation: that’s what makes it interesting.”
Although Leenarts did not confirm that Ford’s next model will be called the Capri, he did say that it will be a departure from its current design language. That decision came about as a result of customer feedback.
“What was really hurting me was them saying we were boring. And that was the part I got really engaged in,” said Leenarts. “I said: ‘Okay, we have to come up with unique proposals: car designs that are clearly differentiated, that offer a unique perspective that nobody else has.’”
As a result, its EVs will look nothing like its other vehicles. That spirit of change has already been expressed in the new European Explorer EV, which is boxier and more minimalistic than Ford’s other vehicles, like the Puma and the Kuga.
The designer recognizes the importance of creating something exciting, not just different, though. The next EV, which has only officially been referred to as a “Sport Crossover,” can’t look boring, he said.
“I think there are some products out there that try a little bit too hard, and in the end it gets to something that’s almost an appliance design,” said Leenarts. “So, a pitfall is appliance design. Don’t make it look like an appliance; it’s got to be sexy.”
Opening photo Silverstone