Coming soon from a galaxy far, far away: the Millennium Focus?
Ford is currently hard at work finishing up their Focus EV, which will be the brand's first electric vehicle. They used this opportunity to give their fans a sneak peek at the design process of the car. Specifically, one of the decisions that the automaker is making right now centers around the vehicle's sound.
Electric vehicles are naturally silent, as their motor makes little noise compared to a big combustion engine. Safety regulators have found this to be a problem, however, as many pedestrians simply can't hear the cars approaching. Thus, all automakers are required to add a sound to the car.
The regulations don't state that this sound has to be a typical engine, however. So Ford seems to be having some fun with the process, posting four different noises to Facebook and asking customers to vote for the one they want to hear on the actual car.
The current leader appears to be a futuristic noise that sounds straight out of a Star Wars - a high-pitched whine that even the most modern of engines can't produce naturally. Time will tell if this is what the Focus EV ends up sounding like or if Ford is just pulling a publicity stunt.