|
Flicking through Autoexpress last night whilst in the supermarket I noticed a feature and supposed picture of the new Focus dash. It must have taken a lot of imagination by Ford to decide to 'borrow' the instrument cluster from Audi - same layout, same Aluminium trim, same computer readout block, even the numbers looked like the same font!
|
|
Knowing the editorial "quality" of Auto Excess it probably IS a picture of an Audi dash.
|
I thought it was the dash from the C-Max?
The Audi link is easily explained. Ford poached quite a number of VW design team members a while back - first task was to help with the Mondeo interior revamp.
That's why there are so many Passat touches in the new shape Mondeo and no doubt the work will spread to other Ford models.
|
I don't know why Ford are trying to play catch up all the time - cost saving perhaps? That way they don't have to spend as much money in the design stage to actually think up with new ideas for the interior. Shame as most of their cars are quite good - I wish they would stop imitating VW, in the styling department.
On the other hand Audi pinched Ford engineers to redesign the suspension to make the cars handle (new A3, Golf).
|
The Mondeo is such a blatant styling copy of the Passat I'm surprised VW didn't sue them in a passing-off legal action.
The irony is that Fords are, in many cases, better made and more reliable than VWs these days - according to surveys in Germany of all places.
|
|
|
![2021 Kia Picanto 1.0 2 5dr Auto [4 seats]](http://images.honestjohn.co.uk/imagecache/url/crop/90x60/https/assets.heycar.co.uk/t_default-export/f_auto/application_assets/vehicles/pictures/8aad05ef63d6b6850f26e396bdb49ca5/5513fe3742002dd567df5da3f262b551.jpg)
