New Edge was a design language used by Ford Motor Company for many of its passenger vehicles in the late 1990s and early 2000s and initially authored by Jack Telnack, who served as Vice President of Design for Ford from 1980 to 1997. Under Telnack's oversight, New Edge was implemented by other Ford designers, including Claude Lobo and Australian John Doughty.[1]
New Edge distinctively combined intersecting arcs and other features, creating "surface tension by adding creases to soft aerodynamic shapes."[2] Describing the 2000 Ford Focus's implementation of the styling theme, New York Times writer Michelle Krebs said the Focus "features crisp lines and taut surfaces. The Focus will not be mistaken for anything else on the road. I found more people liked its look than hated it, and few were indifferent."[3] Reputedly, New Edge design saved production time, the edges themselves ostensibly making the panels much easier to align.[4]
After the international Ford Focus had won the prestigious European Car of the Year (1999), William Diem of the New York Times wrote, "To some extent, the prize vindicates Ford's risky design for the Focus, especially the New Edge styling -- a combination of straight lines, curves and planes."[5]
The styling theme began to be replaced by Kinetic Design in 2006 with the Ford S-Max and Ford Galaxy.
- ^ "10 Years Ford Focus, 2008 Anniversary Press Kit" (PDF). Ford Media Europe. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-20.
- ^ "New Designer to Take a Seat at Ford's Drawing Board". The New York Times, Michelle Krebs, Sunday, September 28, 1997. September 28, 1997. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- ^ "2000 Ford Focus; The Econobox Turns a Corner and Picks Up Some Edge". The New York Times, Behind The Wheel, Michelle Krebs, October 31, 1999. October 31, 1999. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- ^ "Big Aussies". Jyanet.com, 1998.
- ^ "Ford Focus Is Off to a Rousing Start". The New York Times, Behind The Wheel, William Diem, November 20, 1998. November 20, 1998. Retrieved May 20, 2010.