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| My photo of the 2011 Ford Explorer at the Dearborn Reveal 7/26/2010 |
Since I work for Ford, watching the prep work for the reveal of the 2011 Ford Explorer at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, MI has been like being behind the scenes at the Oscars. For the past week, Ford has had a DIRT CAM - yes you read that right. The marketing folks decided that the Explorer reveal in Dearborn would consist of the vehicle emerging from over a huge pile of dirt, thus showing its off road durablity - and its coolness.
When I say a huge pile of dirt, I am talking big - like 20 feet high. So the DIRT CAM showed the construction of this road of dirt on the lawn of Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn. You can not say that Ford does not have originality.
Let's Go Back a Few Weeks...
I few weeks ago, Ford employees in Dearborn had a special up-close viewing of the 2011 Ford Explorer. We met some of the engineers and were given time to play with the vehicle and see all the cool new features. When I first saw it, I thought the 2011 Ford Explorer was a cross between a Ford Flex, a Ford Edge and a Ford Taurus X. It has the beautiful chrome trim that the Flex is known for, the front-end of the Ford Taurus X and a "butt" that resembles the Ford Edge. The overall look is very attractive. It's like taking the best features from parents and making a beautiful and talented offspring.
The 2011 Explorer has some wonderful and never seen before features. It has a 2 liter EcoBoost engine and improved aerodynamics for 30% better fuel economy. The Explorers that we saw had luxury leather seats that were soft as butter. But dispite all the luxury, the vehicle can still go off road with the press of a button.
But the most exciting part of the 2011 Ford Explorer is the worlds first Rear Inflatable Seat Belts. The inflatable seat belts spread impact forces across five times more area than conventional seat belts. This reduces pressure on the chest while helping to control head and neck motion. We watched a video of child-sized test dummies seated in the back of the Ford Explorer in a front impact crash. The rear seat belts inflated further helping to keep the test dummies in their seats and unharmed. Parents will definitely want to check out the 2011 Explorer. Click here to check out the video.
Back to the Dirt....
So today, Ford employees, dealers, suppliers and the interested public met on the lawn of Ford World Headquarters for the official vehicle reveal. After consuming hot dogs and chips, getting our Ford swag,and hearing a rocking local band play cover tunes from the Eagles and the Monkeys, it was finally time for the reveal. Over the dirt pile emerged the new shiny 2011 Ford Explorer in my favorite car color combination- white on white.
I was lucky enough to be right behind the press so I got some great shots. Take a look for yourself at the reveal....
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| Me with my Explorer Mini Football Swag |
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| Members of Team Explorer in their custom t-shirts |
Wasn't that cool? Ford is using social media for the first time as part of a product reveal. So, you can follow the Explorer on Facebook for more information....
Click here to enter for your chance to win an all new 2011 Ford Explorer XLT, with $2000 worth of gear to load in the back. 21 lucky contestants will win $50 gift cards.
Contest ends 12/26/2010. Now that would be a cool New Year's gift...
Like the photos in this story?
This is the camera that I use...
