Ford invites gamers to build Fordzilla P1

KUALA LUMPUR: US automobile major Ford Motor Company is all set to enter the increasingly popular gaming world of virtual racing and will build the Fordzilla team in this regard. The Cologne-based Ford of Europe has now announced that the first virtual car will be known as the P1. The name is identical to one of the cars in the McLaren Ultimate Series. However, there’s unlikely to be any legal issues since Ford’s project will be entirely in the virtual domain. 

The Dearborn-headquartered company, it has been leant, will recruit gamers to help design a new racing car exclusively for virtual sports. Ford, in a statement, said that the Fordzilla F1 would be an extensive collaboration between gamers and its in-house vehicle designers. 

While details of the project are still sketchy, Ford is unlikely to borrow inspiration from any of its existing cars to design the P1. While the company is yet to spell its plans about when the P1 will be introduced, a Forza Motorsport debut can’t be entirely ruled out. The Fordzilla racing team already has a presence in the Forza Motorport 7 video game developed by Turn 10 Studios. The Ford Gran Turismo (GT), earlier, landed on the cover of the Forza Motorsport 6.

Inputs for the P1 will be sought from various gaming communities through a series of Twitter polls. Gamers will be able to provide inputs about the car’s key design attributes, like the shape of the cockpit and other ergonomics. The crowd sourced design elements will be then used by Ford’s experts to make the virtual car. While the Ford of Europe will steer the design process, the entire project will be led by five Fordzilla teams from Italy, Germany, Spain, France, and the UK.

Ford of Europe director of deign Amko Leenarts said that the expertise of the gaming community will be crucial to ensure that the Fordzilla P1 emerges as the best-looking car in the virtual motorsport circuit.

Ford, meanwhile, is expected to roll out the 2020 Mustang in April. The car was revealed at the 2018 Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show and is likely to command a price of RM 209,833.

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