Both four- and three-door Verve body styles are being unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, as curtain-raisers to a new global family of small cars set to debut in Europe and Asia beginning later this year and in North America in 2010. The four-door is the basis for the production vehicle that will be sold in North America. The European three-door is being shown to test market reaction to the bodystyle – as a possible additional small car for the North American market.

“We’re looking at every aspect of what’s defined Ford as a small-car leader in Europe and working to build on this expertise in driving dynamics and design across a global family of Ford cars that are as exciting to drive as they are to look at,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president, Global Product Development.

“The Verve concept family provides a vision for a new world standard for quality, design and comfort in the small car segment,” Kuzak added. “These concepts demonstrate how leveraging our global strengths can yield attractive benefits for our customers in markets around the world.”

The Verve concept is built off of a design architecture flexible enough to yield three distinctive vehicles that are each recognizably Ford. The flexible design architecture also allows Ford to adapt quickly to rapidly changing customer tastes and will help the company enter new markets utilizing regionally tailored products off of a common platform.

The North American Verve sedan, painted in Rouge Red, has been modified slightly from its European and Asian counterparts – most notably in its front fascia.

The powertrain is described only as a fuel-efficient four-cylinder of undisclosed displacement and performance. Dimensionally, the Verve is 145 inches long, with a 98-inch wheelbase. Width is 65 inches.

The hood sculpture is toned and athletic but not overtly muscular. This form language combines with the more pronounced, rearward-stretching headlamps to give the face of the Ford Verve concept a friendly, open and inviting personality. The prominent headlamps feature two projector beams and a light-emitting diode (LED) array.

The 18-inch, 12-spoke, two-piece alloy wheel design lends even more drama to the car, punctuated with a subtle sidewall stripe that complements the rich body color.

Other accents on the vehicle include a discreet chrome bar in the door handles and similar use of brushed aluminum on the lower grille surround, the rear license plate surround and on the lower edge of the front fog lamps.

Verve offers also key electronic systems such as navigation, a dynamic sound system and in-car phone controls. Aesthetically, the Verve interior follows the curves and contours of the instrument panel shape.

Functionally, the center stack design decouples traditional elements of the entertainment system – the screen, control elements and the electronics. Separating these features allowed designers to position controls for optimal ergonomic positioning in a design that resembles the logic of a mobile phone. The center console includes a tray for a mobile phone or MP3 player as well as a large bin for a purse near the handbrake. The center stack is a unique combination of sculpture, colors, materials and jewelry-like brightwork.

The concept’s climate controls, highlighted in a lozenge shape at the midpoint of the center stack, feature large twist dials that were inspired by the sculpture found in high-quality power showers.

The primary gauges – speedometer and tachometer – are uniquely framed by binocular-shaped, short tunnels of brightwork that complement the center stack and contrast the rich interior colors like a fashion accessory.

Ford hasn’t said anything about the price, but it is believed it will be touted as an entry level vehicle below the Ford Focus, which costs in the mid-$17,000 range.

The US big three carmakers - General Motors (GM), Ford and Chrysler - are in the midst of painful restructuring as they close factories, trim production goals and eliminate jobs.

They missed the fuel-economy trend and have been bypassed by European and Japanese rivals in the fastest-growing market segments. US market leader GM had a 6-per-cent drop in sales for 2007, Ford reported minus 12 per cent, and Chrysler sold 3.1 per cent fewer vehicles.