Ford ‘Future car’ should be red, electric and be able to fly – say kids

A survey of 500 boys and girls looked at what the car of the future should look and feel like when they’re old enough to take their test.

Showing maturity above their years, the most important feature on their dream car was comfortable seats, followed by high levels of safety and being environmentally friendly.

Black and red were the most popular colours for the car – while electricity was far and away the ideal source of power, with diesel and petrol going out of the window.

And six per cent said they want engineers to take cars to the next level and dodge traffic by making them fly.

More than three quarters (79 per cent) of those aged eight and nine, surveyed by Ford, said they are looking forward to learning to drive in 2030.

But more than half (52 per cent) want cars to be so easy they don’t need to take a driving test – and a quarter say they want cars to drive themselves.

Ford asked its designer, Nedzad Mujcinovic, to mock up the dream car for the nation’s 17- and 18-year-olds in 2030.

The manufacturer also introduced a group of schoolchildren to its new Mustang Mach-E model and asked them to critique it as part of a ‘Ford Focus Group’.

Alice Swallow, senior innovation engineer at Ford, which commissioned the research as part of its Go Electric report, said:

“It’s clear that today’s children have their wonderful imagination, but they’re also sensible at the same time.

“They want their car to fly and be fun, but they’re also very keen on future mobility being sustainable and safe.

“We’ve mocked up how we think this dream car should look. It would certainly grab attention – but we’re not overly sure it will be appearing on our forecourts in the next decade or so.

“When presented with the new Ford Mustang Mach-E, our young Future Generation focus group certainly had some strong views on the car, with the interior tech receiving high praise, and they quickly identified that it was all-electric.”

Ford also surveyed 2,000 adults to get their thoughts on driving in 2030, the year the government plans on outlawing the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.