Ford Evos Concept Shows a Sexier Side of the Blue Oval

Ford isn’t exactly known for building sexy cars. Yes, the company has been improving its design in recent years, but for most people, the Blue Oval still means safe, sensible family hatchbacks. The new Ford Evos Concept, though, might just change a few minds.

Set to be unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Evos is a striking four-door concept with gullwing-style doors — all four of them.

From the front, there’s more than a hint of Aston Martin in that deep grille. From the side, there’s a splash of Lamborghini about it. At the back, things get properly futuristic, with a look that feels like it’s driven straight out of The Jetsons.

All in all, it’s a pretty damn good-looking thing.

Inside, it’s all about technology. Ford is talking about cloud-based features that could link the car to your home and personal devices — automatically continuing music or video you were streaming at home, for example, or even switching off your house lights as you drive away.

That all sounds very futuristic, although presumably only when the 3G connection is behaving itself.

The cabin design is surprisingly grounded. It’s curvy and modern, but not so wild that you couldn’t imagine elements of it appearing in future Ford models.

Power would come from a lithium-ion plug-in hybrid powertrain, similar in principle to the setup planned for the Ford C-Max Energi. Ford’s “powersplit” hybrid system allows the electric motor and petrol engine to work together or independently, depending on what’s most efficient.

We know the Ford Evos won’t make production in this form, but that’s not really the point. Concept cars are there to show us where a brand is heading — and if this is the future of Ford design, we’re all for it.

Just one note for Ford’s designers: building family cars doesn’t mean everything needs four doors.