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The Ford Flex is a full-size crossover utility vehicle (CUV)〔http://www.ford.com/crossovers/flex/specifications/capacities/〕 manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since the 2009 model year. The Flex supersedes the Ford Taurus X and Freestyle, sharing their drivetrains and using an updated platform. The Flex is manufactured alongside the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX mid-size CUVs at the Oakville Assembly plant in Oakville, Ontario, where the first Flex manufactured at the beginning of June 2008. The Flex is directly related to a group of rebadged variants, Ford's ''Chicago D4's'', so called for the plant where they were manufactured (Oakville Assembly) and the platform (D4) they share: the Ford Explorer and Lincoln MKT. The Flex is closely related to Ford's ''Chicago D3's'': the Mercury Montego and third generation Mercury Sable sedans; the Ford Freestyle and Taurus X wagons, marketed as a crossover vehicles; as well as the fifth and sixth generations Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS. Noted for styling by Peter Horbury that recalls the MINI, and a series of horizontal grooves in its doors and tailgate evoking a Woodie, the Flex is marketed in the United States, in Canada and in the Middle East. ==Background== The Ford Flex was first unveiled at the 2007 New York International Auto Show It was introduced as Ford sought to introduce a 7-passenger family vehicle without it being a minivan, a segment in decline since the late 1990s. At the 2005 Chicago Auto Show, Ford showed the Ford Fairlane concept vehicle. Based on the Ford CD3 platform, it was a 3-row people-mover with distinctive styling. The rear passenger doors of the Fairlane were rear-hinged; although this allowed better interior views for auto-show viewers, this configuration also previewed the sliding doors of a minivan. In the change to a production vehicle, the Fairlane would change names to Flex and shift platforms to the larger D3/D4 architecture. A notable change from the concept was the adoption of 4 conventionally hinged doors, as Ford chose to market it more as a wagon-type crossover. Several key styling features of the Fairlane concept would make their way into the production Flex, however. The most distinctive is a series of horizontal grooves in the doors, intended to evoke a Woodie look without using simulated wood. Car Design News said the styling references "a previous era without resorting to obvious retro styling cues."〔(【引用サイトリンク】 quote = Reminiscent of the infamous "woodie wagons" of the ‘50s, the Flex's aesthetic is notable for referencing a previous era without resorting to obvious retro styling cues. Woodie wagons, such as the type-defining 1953 Buick Roadmaster estate, featured wooden exterior panels towards the rear of the car. The Flex reinterprets this through four distinctive horizontal grooves set into the lower half of both front and rear door panels, and a brushed-aluminum tailgate finish. )〕 Additionally, these help to visually lower the vehicle. In a design similar to the Mini and the Range Rover, the roof pillars are blacked out, creating a "floating roof" effect. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ford Flex」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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