Official press release:

GO ANYWHERE - FORD ALPE LIMITED

Ford is giving visitors to this year's North American International Auto Show a look at a new concept combining fuel efficiency and utility.

Ford Alpe Limited, a five-door, four-passenger concept vehicle, shows one way sport utility vehicles and family passenger cars could blend.

The result, says Tom Scott, director, Advanced Design, is a vehicle that can help quench the customers' thirst for smaller, more fuel efficient alternatives in an ever-growing sport utility market.

Alpe Limited's exterior design includes elements that are at home both on the street and in more challenging terrain. Large, 215/50VR17 tires with aggressive tread and five-spoke, 17x7-inch aluminum wheels, ample cargo space and towing capacity along with raised ride-height and four-wheel drive capabilities give the Alpe Limited the go-anywhere versatility of an SUV.

Its smaller size and reduced weight also result in a more fuel efficient vehicle. The plexiglass roof lends a more spacious feel to the interior, and a raised roof rack provides additional space for hauling cargo.

The exterior color of Alpe Limited is a warm silver, a color theme carried through to the exposed sheet metal on the interior. The instrument panel is maroon and the seats are of tan leather featuring fabric inserts made from recycled pop bottles.

Designers embraced a minimalist approach in creating the Alpe Limited interior but retained all instrument gauges and standard safety features, such as air bags and three-point restraints. The seating configuration includes front buckets seats with a 60/40 split bench in the rear. The absence of interior clutter helps to reduce the overall weight of the vehicle, further enhancing its fuel efficiency.

The Alpe Limited is powered by 2.0-liter 16-valve DOHC engine and is based on a Ford Escort platform, providing another example of platform versatility made possible through Ford 2000.