The Ford Lightweight Concept is a unique prototype->ke169. It doesn't have any fancy new headlights or levitating cabins, but it does have new technology that could end up becoming one of the more important advancements in the industry. The "Lightweight Concept" name pretty much says it all. This prototype is all about showcasing advanced lightweight materials that lets future Ford->ke31 models improve their performance and fuel efficiency, while also dropping the carbon-dioxide emissions.

Weight reduction and improved efficiency are two of the industry's most important goals, and the Lightweight Concept features Ford at its innovative best. The Lightweight Concept makes use of advanced material applications like aluminum, ultra-high-strength steels, magnesium, and carbon fiber. Each of these materials were incorporated into the design of the vehicle, creating a blueprint that could pave the way for integrating lightweight advancements in future models.

It's not going to blow anybody away in the same way "normal" concepts->ke169 would. But that's not the point with the Lightweight Concept. Rather, this concept is here to show off just how small innovations can lead to huge benefits in the future.

Should Ford reach that point, the company can look back to the Lightweight Concept as the prototype that made it possible to achieve long-term potential lightening solutions.

So don't sleep on the Lightweight Concept just because it's essentially a Ford Fusion->ke433 with fancy and colorful graphics all over the body. This prototype could end up becoming one of the most important Ford has developed in recent years.

Click past the jump to read more about the Ford Lightweight Concept.

2014 Ford Lightweight Concept

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  • Model: 2014 Ford Lightweight Concept
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Ford Lightweight Concept in detail

Ford developed the Lightweight Concept in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Program and Cosma International, a subsidiary of Magna International. Given its objective, you can tell that the really important elements of the concept aren't those colorful graphics; it's the materials that those graphics highlight the lightweight solutions. Things like composite springs up front, hollow springs on the rear, chemically treated glass, the 1.0-liter, three-liter Ecoboost engine, the aluminum subframe, and the carbon-fiber seats are just a few of the details that these graphics outline.

Every automaker has a long-term objective, and one of them is to convince customers that the cars they buy were designed with the purest of intentions. The Ford Lightweight Concept shows what's possible when a company can integrate lightweight technology with sustainability to create vehicles that meet the standards of customers, whether its reduced weight, improved fuel economy, small greenhouse gas emissions, or a combination of all three.