Fusion hints at the new Falcon

The 2006 Ford Fusion

The all-new Ford Falcon due in 2007 will be based in part on the Fusion mid-sized sedan that Ford unveiled at the Detroit motor show.

The carmaker's global design J. Mays admitted as much. "There are bits of the Falcon there," he told reporters. "But with the Falcon we're going to take it a step further."

The American-market Fusion is crucial in Ford's home market as it seeks to establish a family face to its range of vehicles and spread the corporate look worldwide.

"You will see a consistency in the face, in a sense that when you look from Australia to the Far East, to Europe and back to the US, you will see a consistency there that you'll recognise it immediately - I hope - as a Ford," said Mays.

The Fusion is not the only car with the same moniker in Ford's stable - a small Fusion is sold in Britain and Europe.

The new Ford look replaces the edge design theme that Ford introduced in the late 1990s. Ford Australia adopted the theme on the AU Falcon in 1998 but the look was heavily criticised and prompted Mays to label the Falcon as the car "with the sad tail."

Stories at the time suggested the Falcon was on the way out. But Ford came up with $500 million and turned the AU into the more complete BA.

The Fusion's new look, the prominent three-bar grille and the bigger and more upright headlights that flow up to the bonnet line, are similar to those on the latest Holden Vectra.

Ford design teams in Detroit and Melbourne are staying in touch on the 2007 Falcon development through video links.

It is believed the car will have a bolder look than the Fusion, without its front end, and with a more complete interior package.

A potential problem lies in the three-bar grille - it's the new Ford corporate face but is closely spaced and might pose a problem with air flow in Australia's climate.

Ford Australia is mindful of the problems of the AU design and is desperate to ensure that the new Falcon is done right.

Design boss Simon Butterworth told reporters that Ford had the ability "to massage things to our tastes, requirements and demands."

"The trick is to look at how you get a line of vehicles in the showroom and see a family identity. And we have to see how it sits with what were trying to do in terms of design."