New Edge

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Not to be confused with the new Ford Edge.

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New Edge was the name given to a style of automobile design used by Ford Motor Company for many of its passenger vehicles in the late 1990s and early 2000s. New Edge was the brainchild of Jack Telnack, who served as Vice President of Design for Ford from 1980 to 1997.

As the name may imply, characteristics of New Edge styling were the use of straight edges and polygons in design - most notably triangular headlamps - as opposed to rounded edges and curves. While distinctive, New Edge drew mixed reactions from the public on almost all cars it was applied to. While some models experienced a surge in sales following their New Edge redesigns, others, such as the Ford Falcon, experienced a drop in market share.

[edit] Vehicles with New Edge design

The first cars to feature New Edge styling were the Ford Ka, released on September 11, 1996, and the revised 1996 Mondeo. The style was also applied to the Puma in 1997, the Focus in 1998 and the Cougar and Mustang in 1999. Although Ford did not release any further cars designed under New Edge principles, some notable characteristics of the design continue to be applied to new Ford of Europe models; namely the trapezoidal grille and large, extended wheelarches, both from New Edge.

[edit] North America

In North America the New Edge design cues were applied to the Ford Mustang for the 1999 refresh of the 4th generation of the iconic pony car (1994-2004). New Edge remains a popular and recognizable iteration of the Mustang.

[edit] Australia

Ford Australia applied New Edge styling to the Falcon for its "AU" model, which was first released in 1998. Ford chose a bold direction for the Falcon's design. The experiment did not prove successful, however, as the Australian public largely rejected the design. It consisted of drooping headlamps and taillights, with sharp angles applied incongruously to rounded surfaces. The wheel wells bulged to the point where any size of wheel appeared too small for the car. Even the flagship models, the XR8 and Fairmont Ghia could not in any way make the most of the design; while some car designs could be considered "ahead of their time", the AU Falcon, nearly 10 years after its initial release, remains a design that the beholder finds difficult to resolve. Ford was forced to give the Falcon an extensive exterior upgrade, as well as mechanical upgrade in 2002. This upgrade was so extensive that it qualified for a new name, the BA, which has since been lauded by the press and performed well in the market. The 2002 exterior refresh served as the basis of the Falcon's design from then through to 2008.