Cars

The 1996 Ford Synergy concept was loaded with ahead-of-its-time tech

This ultra-aerodynamic, ultra-frugal vision of the future never made it to production, but a lot of its ideas have.

Chris Paukert

Following stints in TV news production and as a record company publicist, Chris spent most of his career in automotive publishing. Mentored by Automobile Magazine founder David E. Davis Jr., Paukert succeeded Davis as editor-in-chief of Winding Road, a pioneering e-mag, before serving as Autoblog's executive editor from 2008 to 2015. Chris is a Webby and Telly award-winning video producer and has served on the jury of the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards. He joined the CNET team in 2015, bringing a small cache of odd, underappreciated cars with him.

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Chris Paukert

April 2, 2020 1:30 a.m. PT

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Despite having debuted in 1996, this Ford Synergy concept car still looks ahead of its time.

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Under this slipstream bodywork was a tiny 1.0-liter diesel engine feeding power to an electric motor. Ford's target? 80 miles per gallon, a heady target even today.

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The Synergy was designed as part of a US-government-led research coalition, Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV). Ford and its rivals General Motors and Chrysler all participated in this race to create an 80-mpg car by 2003.

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The Synergy's mission statement was to imagine what a family sedan would look like in the year 2010. It's fair to say over a decade later, we're still waiting for this Jetsons-like, knife-edge future of mobility.

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The Synergy's cabin featured a voice-activated phone book.

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It's fair to say that the Synergy wasn't likely seriously considered for production at the time it debuted, but a lot of the tech inside has since become commonplace.