Ford Focus

Ford Focus, the first car to win both European and North American Car of the Year honours in the same year - evolved from a complex design exercise involving body design, technology and comfort. But that's not all. Focus designers also considered the sensory aspects of the vehicle experience, taking into account its impact on all of the senses-from smell to sounds-using the latest available technology to deliver on all fronts. "We conducted extensive research to determine consumers' needs," says Dave Jamieson, brand manager, Ford Focus. "Customers are becoming more and more conscious of quality in every aspect of a vehicle, from its overall look to its interior scent."

Olfactory at the factory; it's just "common scents"...Mmmmm....the new Focus smells great! That's thanks to a conscientious Ford team of human smell-testers, a computerized "electronic nose" and household fruit-preserving jars, all of which ensure that no unwanted odours are emitted from the car's interior. For more than 25 years, Ford specialists have evaluated the scents of potential trim materials, using that expertise to ensure supplier components meet low-odour specifications. Following a human sensory analysis, the materials become standards to "teach" an electronic "nose". After this training, the instrument is able to distinguish between good- and bad-smelling parts.

"We believe Ford is the first automotive company in the world planning to use an electronic nose for routine quality control," says Jamieson. "It can be trained to recognize what has an acceptable smell and what doesn't. The electronic nose has actually proven more reliable than humans because people react instinctively, whereas a machine can only compare each new sample with its previous result."

All materials underwent a laboratory process that simulates real-life conditions-inside a car on a hot, humid day-when smells are most noticeable. Sealed in airtight preserving jars, samples were heated to 40 degrees Celsius for 16 hours. That's when a panel of scientists gave them the "smell test", evaluating each sample on a four-point scale, with one being no smell detected and four being unacceptable. With Focus, the routine quality control will be given to an electronic smell detector. This "Electronic Nose" employs up to 39 chemical sensors, each responding to different components within an aroma, to produce a "fingerprint" for the material being tested. The E-nose then seeks a match with other "fingerprints" of good and bad smells in its memory. Will this technology ever replace human "sniffers?" "Not a chance," says Jamieson. "The human nose has more than 20 million sensory cells so it will always have a role. The electronic nose can't deal with the unknown." From "common scents" to how Focus sounds, Ford left no stone unturned.

"Play it again, Fred III"

Ford's team of acoustic engineers were integral to Focus' development, expertly designing more than 20 sounds for the car. After achieving a "quiet" car, including a smooth engine, the experts began to concentrate on the car's specific components. To begin, the team concentrated on the "ticking" noise traditionally generated when a car's directional signals are used. "We wanted to give the indicator an innovative sound to match the personality of the rest of the car," says Jamieson. Extensive consumer research resulted in creation of a list of the most desirable sounds, which were then tested with respondents on a ten-point scale. From this exercise, sound "fingerprints" were created for development engineers. That's where Fred III-an artificial listening head-came in. It was Fred III, with his ear-positioned stereo recording microphones (to simulate what a real person would hear), who recorded the various sounds played to test groups. They focused on the sounds of: central locking, door slamming, power windows and door release, among others.

Touch and go

To add "the touch of class" to Focus, the Ford design team used more than 20 different surface treatments. Textures range from padded to grainy and from woven to rubbery to match their particular purpose, as well as complement adjacent surfaces. On some models, the futuristic-styled instrument panel is broken up with different surface grains. Metallic and wood-effect highlights on the instrument panels of certain models add further impact and variation.

To achieve the softest seat possible, new yarns and weaving technologies were investigated. "The result is a much more finely woven fabric than usual, with a surface that almost feels like suede," says Jamieson. The instrument panel features large audio dials for easy manipulation. All rotary knobs are rubberized, while push/pull buttons use silicon pads to help drivers easily and tactilely distinguish between controls while driving. Even door handles received special attention. They pull out rather than up, so there is less chance of breaking a nail or scratching the paint with a ring.

Racerchicks.com would like to thank Ford for providing this press release - it is gratifying to see a manufacturer promote not just the performance aspects of its' engineering. Considering women account for 70% of a new car buying decision - we thank Ford for listening.

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