2009 FORD FLEX

Our first glance of the new 2009 Ford Flex was on a cool rainy spring morning. Photographer David Lewis Taylor and I were picked up for an interview with the designer of Ford's new flagship. Our interest was peaked with the arrival of this forward-looking vehicle, and we were not the only ones on the street with admiring eyes. Even in the rain, the distinctive design is standout, signaling Ford’s new emphasis on suburb style. Ford Chief Interior Designer Anthony Prozzi, himself a fashion industry insider, was back on his native ground and deservingly proud of his latest design coup. His sporty and graphically retro-modern design will appeal to a range of consumers including those looking for space, style, safety, and comfort.

Befitting a parking lot either at Barney’s or Target, the Ford Flex is spacious enough for bulk shopping of fashion and accessories or home merchandise. On the bumper-car streets of Manhattan or the glorious back roads of East Hampton, the 2009 Ford Flex is at home in any environment.

Driving to the Chelsea gallery district I found myself relaxing in the comfortable surroundings, noticing the craftsmanship and innovative design features that seamlessly brought a fashion sense to the forefront of functionality. The Ford Flex owns its style and commands attention with bold, clean lines from the grill to the taillights... Ford is poised to have a very popular winner on their hands.

It was a great honor to see the look of refined pride on the face of designer Prozzi as onlookers stopped to admire his work. With his background in fashion, including menswear design at DKNY, Anthony expressed his interest in bringing fashion and design to the Flex, “Consumer’s tastes have evolved and have become more sophisticated with regard to detail and proportion. Now more than ever people are driven by design, everyone is design conscious. I look at how a person picks out a suit or a piece of furniture. It reflects their personalities. If a person has a certain style about them, they don’t check it at their car door. It carries from their office to their wardrobe to their briefcase to their cell phone or PDA, most definitely to their car.”

“Flex is provocative, no doubt about it,” said Jim Farley, Ford group vice president, Marketing and Communications. “The Flex is like nothing else on the road, and it defies being categorized. I have a feeling that Flex is going to appeal to a group of customers who feel absolutely the same way about themselves. With the Flex the Ford brand is now at a new level of style and luxury that will have our friends from Germany and Japan playing catch up.”

Also: Did you know the Flex will keep pants out of the dry cleaners? More about that will be coming to our sister site eCityofStyle.com.

fordvehicles.com/flex
Photos on location in New York: David Lewis Taylor