Geneva 2009: Ford iosis MAX Concept

Ford has released images and details on one of it's concepts set to debut at the Geneva Show tommorow, the Ford iosis MAX Concept (Ford's weird non-capitalization, not mine).

Say hello to the next Focus! This time it will be a fully global one too, as part of Alan Mullaly's restructuring of Ford and the way it conducts business. 

This is being done in order to save money by eliminating product development  overlap and also cost effiences due to increased economies of scale.

The iosis MAX Concept offers a good preview of what to expect from the next generation Focus's style. This particular concept references the 5-door, Europe-only (for now, anyway) Focus C-MAX line.

The iosis MAX is a continuation of Ford Europe's Kinetic design language onto the Focus. It's very nice and shows an more upmarket design then we see with the current model. It's a natural evolution for the hot-selling car.

The interior, while obviously decked out in conceptual fashion, offers a hint of the dash design we can expect from the next-generation Focus.

Expect to see a similarly oriented center console and vent area. Other Ford concepts have exhibited this look as well as the production Fiesta interior. The look is inviting, offering a lot of space for it's compact size.

Notice the lack of a B-pillar that helps to offer easy, unimpeded access to the cabin. The iosis MAX Concept showcases good packaging, and offers a unique take on door openings like a tailgate that can be opened even with limited space available behind it.

While I doubt it, hopefully some of these differentiating ideas will carry over to the production C-MAX. Ford has been making great strides lately and it's great to see innovation at the automaker.

So while we're waiting for the production Focus, in the mean time we can get a preview of what to expect from the Ford iosis MAX.