The Ford U.S. Heritage Fleet preserves unique concept and historical vehicles from The Blue Oval's past that might have otherwise been lost to time. One of those vehicles - the 2006 Ford Reflex - is currently included as part of the collection, a perfect example of mid-2000s design language wrapped up in a small, sporty shell.
The 2006 Ford Reflex is a concept car built with efficiency at top of mind. Its diesel-electric hybrid engine was said to deliver up to 65 mpg, featuring an electric motor mounted on the rear axle that worked in conjunction with the hybrid propulsion system on the front axle. That setup granted all-wheel-drive (AWD) capabilities, along with improved driving performance and efficiency. It even featured a solar power charging system.
Outside, the 2006 Ford Reflex boasted an expression dominated by the iconic three-bar Ford grille. Reverse butterfly doors made ingress and egress as easy as possible, while its low-voltage circuitry was not hidden, but shown off on its glass roof as a functional design element. Its 20-inch wheels were made of polished alloy, and its specially designed tires helped it achieve that 65 mpg efficiency rating.
The 2006 Ford Reflex was designed to be as comfortable as it was safe. The interior was furnished with inflatable safety belts, which were built to reduce injury to second-row occupants, making it the ideal vehicle to cart around a family with young children in the backseat. It even boasted a "baby cam" in the headliner, which streamed video of the second-row occupants to the driver so they could keep an eye on their precious cargo.
Recycled materials were present throughout the 2006 Ford Reflex, designed in partnership between Ford, Nike, and Sustainable Solutions, Inc. Materials used included excess material from athletic shoe outsoles, making the Reflex a small, green machine.
While the 2006 Reflex was all about sustainability and efficiency, other concept vehicles in the Ford U.S. Heritage fleet explored pure power - like the Ford 427 concept and the Ford Interceptor concept. Other "what-ifs," like the Ford Fairlane, are practically indistinguishable from production models that ultimately did make it to market.
Comment
The Reflex concept didn’t make it to market because Ford, GM et. al. are happy stamping out cookie cutter SUVs, CUVs etc. year after year; that they can do a grill tweak or a minor taillight change and can call it a new model. Yep….its all about the money.
Just my 2 cents….