With record high fuel...

With record high fuel prices and a growing appreciation that drivers will have to curb their thirst for gas-guzzlers, reality is hitting home for motorists in the USA. That"s what has prompted Ford to turn its attention to building a stylish small coupé once again.

While the Reflex is still a concept at this stage, it has a stunning shape. With a hunched rear and wide, slanted wheelarches - there to disguise the roof height required to give enough headroom for the rear seat - this car is a fitting successor to the original Puma. Designers have concentrated on creating a look that"s muscular and expensive.

"You can add perceived value by making the sheet metal properly," said Ford"s design chief, Briton Peter Horbury. "The idea is to give the impression that this car is worth more than its rivals, and you can do that for nothing."

The Reflex isn"t all visual trickery, however. There"s plenty of innovation here, from the solar panels in the lamps, to inflatable seatbelts, to the netting seat fabrics which keep occupants cool and reduce the size of the chairs.

Inside, the cockpit is cosy, but there is more than enough head and legroom for the occupants in the front, even if the rear is a little cramped for more than two young children, or one small adult. The driver can even monitor the integral rear-facing baby seat with a "baby-cam" video camera! The Reflex is light and airy inside, with large windows and clear roof panels. A space-age centre console floats between the front seats, housing lurid blue switches. Ahead of the driver, the instrument binnacle hinges out of the facia when the ignition is engaged.

Under the bonnet, the Reflex is fitted with a futuristic hybrid diesel powertrain. Employing the gutsy 1.4-litre TDCi oil-burning engine to propel the front wheels, the hybrid system features advanced lithium-ion batteries similar to those in a mobile phone.

These are charged by the engine and over-run braking, and supply power to a small electric motor which drivers the rear wheels. Yet while all this is possible on a production machine, it is also expensive, bulky, heavy - and highly unlikely to make it into Ford showrooms. As it stands, this attractive concept runs on batteries only, and is limited to low speeds at present.

Nevertheless, given its Fiesta underpinnings, the production car is certain to be every bit as entertaining as the Puma. With capable dynamics and jaw-dropping looks, the Reflex offers a tantalising glimpse of the future.