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Ford Unveils New Edge, S-Max, and Mondeo Five-Door in Upscale Vignale Trim, Kuga Vignale Concept

Ford Edge Vignale

Ford is moving to expand its upscale Vignale trim in Europe—it isn’t offered in the U.S.—from more or less a single offering built around the Mondeo sedan and wagon (sold as the Fusion here), to an entire sub-brand with multiple offerings. Joining the Mondeo Vignale on the automaker’s Geneva auto show stand are Vignale iterations based off of the Edge crossover, S-Max people mover, and the Mondeo five-door hatchback (as distinct from the already revealed wagon), as well as a concept Kuga (Escape) Vignale.
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Ford Edge Vignale

The new Vignale models follow closely in the the original Mondeo Vignale sedan and station wagons’ footsteps, with additional chrome brightwork sprinkled over their bodies, polished aluminum wheels, and hexagonal dark-finished grilles. Inside, the three new Vignales all feature hexagon-quilted Windsor leather seats, Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment system, active noise control digital noise mitigation, and special aluminum trim. The Edge Vignales on display in Geneva wore attractive Ametista Scura (brown) and White Platinum paint colors, while the S-Max also rocked the white paint, as well as Vignale Milano Grigio gray paint. Engine choices for the range include a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder or a turbodiesel four.

Ford Kuga Vignale concept

It is clear based on the Kuga Vignale concept that Ford is thinking about adding a Vignale to the Kuga lineup soon. Ford says that nearly 80 percent of Kugas sold in Europe last year were of the range-topping Titanium variety, indicating room to expand with a pricier offering. That said, the Kuga Vignale concept packs a few touches that aren’t likely to see production, namely a leather cargo floor and leather covering for the inside of the tailgate. Figure on the concept’s special leather interior, dark-finished grille, and special wheels making the cut for a production model.

So would any of the attractive, seemingly posh Vignale models work in the U.S.? In all likelihood yes, but as we’ve pointed out before, that would only be the case if Ford’s Lincoln luxury brand didn’t exist. Lincolns aren’t sold in Europe, leaving Ford the freedom to offer nicer Fords.

Ford Mondeo Five-Door Vignale

Ford Mondeo Five-Door Vignale
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Ken Block Unleashes Smokin’ Hades Upon the UAE in Gymkhana 8 [Video]

If Ken Block knows anything, it’s his audience. As a pro skater, he launched DC Shoes with Danny Way. As his interests, er, drifted toward rallying, he assumed that the kids would want to see examples of ridiculous car control. As his Gymkhana series grew into the bated-breath juggernaut it’s become, Block has worked to make the situations more outrageous. And what’s more outrageous than taking over the streets of Dubai?

Take Houston, Las Vegas, and New York City, roll them together, bake under a scorching Gulf sun, and you might begin to approximate the UAE’s most populous city. It also happens to be one of the car-nutsiest towns in the world. Block takes advantage of the modern, wide boulevards to blow smoke at the city’s famous exotic police cars from behind the wheel of his humble Ford Fiesta, he pirouettes around an F-150 Raptor careening down the road on two wheels, and eventually finds himself on a runway, dodging the landing gear of a 747 that’s being pulled by an aircraft tug. If it’s not quite as eye-popping as the Hoonicorn’s pas de deux with a hopping lowrider or that ridiculous sideways leap in the San Francisco installment, there’s still plenty of stuntin’ madness, this time paired with a load of eye candy for fans of automotive exotica.

Regrettably, the Hoonigan-fettled ’78 Escort we wrote about last fall is nowhere to be seen in Gymkhana 8, although the end of the clip teases Block’s next machine, the Focus RS RX. It’s a wildly beflared thing with honking air intakes protruding from the rear fenders. With any luck, we’ll see the Focus and the Escort together in the next installment. Because, duh, of course there’s going to be a next installment.

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Volkswagen T-Cross Breeze Previews New Small CUV

-If you’re thinking that the one thing the world needs least right now is a convertible crossover, you have plenty of company. But there are enough people interested in the idea that Land Rover is going there with its handsome and pricey Range Rover Evoque convertible. And now VW is showing us something remarkably similar in the form of the T-Cross Breeze. It’s technically a concept, but VW says it “can well imagine putting such a convertible on the market as a production model.” Of course, it’ll morph into something far more practical first, a fixed-roof subcompact crossover to tussle with the likes of the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, and Jeep Renegade. READ MORE ››

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Volkswagen T-Cross Breeze Previews New Small CUV – Auto Shows

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2017 Honda Civic Hatchback Debuts—In Concept Form – Auto Shows

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2017 Honda Civic Hatchback Debuts in Concept Form—or Is That “Type R Form”?

-Honda has now rolled out the hatchback version of its all-new Civic at the Geneva show—and even though the model was introduced on the Continent, this is a debut that has plenty of relevance to America. READ MORE ››

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Electric Shocker: Morgan Shows Production 3 Wheeler EV

Morgan isn’t like other automakers, but you probably knew that already. This tiny British sports-car maker continues to do many things in much the same way it has throughout its century-plus of existence, regarding timber as an appropriate structural material for use in a car and producing some models that could be sent through a time machine to 1935 without exciting undue comment.

But it’s always had the capacity to surprise, as well, with recent examples including some of the gorgeous aluminum-bodied sports cars it has crafted around BMW V-8 engines, plus the relaunch of the 3 Wheeler motorized tricycle. Now here’s the biggest shock of all: an electric version of the 3 Wheeler, set to go into full production later this year.

The company released images of a concept car last year, although it refused to let us see what the front might look like. That, we presumed, was because a 3 Wheeler without its V-twin motorbike engine would look utterly ridiculous. On that, we were wrong. The production EV3—which we’re seeing in near-finished form at the Geneva auto show—now wears a battery pack where you’d expect to find its silvery engine, and it’s wrapped in “brass conductive cooling fins” that give it a distinct steampunk vibe. The headlights have been moved lower and joined by a third that sits on one side of the half-empty engine slot; this gives the EV3 the distinct impression that it’s wearing a monocle and is about to inquire whether anybody feels like a game of tennis.

It’s a smart little thing, in terms of construction as well as styling, with carbon fiber used for its hood, tonneau cover, and side panels (underneath still sits an ash wood frame). Performance is comparable to the gasoline-fired 3 Wheeler, with a water-cooled 62-hp electric motor driving the rear wheel. It’s fed by a 20-kWh lithium-ion battery. The company says that zero to 62 mph takes less than nine seconds and that the EV3 has a top speed of “more than 90 mph.” Total weight is quoted as being less than 1100 pounds, and the maximum range at 150 miles.

Inside, there’s a new dashboard layout featuring old-fashioned aero-style toggle switches and—in lieu of a gearshift—a direction switch in the middle of the dashboard that gives the simple choice of forward and reverse. This is flanked by a speedometer and a display that shows how much power the motor is using or regenerating as well as the remaining range.

Morgan is also showing a special edition of its more traditional 4/4 sports car at Geneva, built to celebrate the 80th anniversary of what the company claims is the longest-running production car in the world. Sadly, though, that one won’t be coming to the States, although the EV3 will be sold in the same markets as the conventional 3 Wheeler, including this one.

Morgan recently announced that it has received funding from the British government as part of a £6-million ($8.3-million) consortium project that will help develop new hybrid and EV Morgan models, of which the EV3 is the first. It will go on sale in the fourth quarter of this year, and we’ll bring you pricing, additional specification details, and—most important—driving impressions just as soon as we can.

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