The Ford Start Concept won admirers at the Beijing International Auto Show, and now it has also won its first award. It pulled ahead of 65 concept vehicles at the show to be named Best Concept by the AutoWeek editorial staff.

More than a design exploration into the feasibility of a future small car, the Start Concept previews the smallest engine in the growing Ford EcoBoost™ engine family. Ford has confirmed that the 1.0-liter turbocharged I-3 EcoBoost engine is going into production, for use in future Ford small cars, where it is expected to deliver the same power as a larger I-4.

“Great design for such a small car, and innovative use of Fords EcoBoost technology with an I-3 engine,” said Roger Hart, AutoWeek Executive Editor.

Inspired in part by a growing global trend towards mega cities, the Start Concept is a journey into solutions and ideas for the future.

“With the Ford Start Concept, we didn’t set out to design some sort of utilitarian concept to save the world, nor were we interested in following the competitive trend toward an overly noisy design language,” said J Mays, Group Vice President Design and Chief Creative Officer, Ford Motor Company. “What we did set out to do was design a personality-driven car that exudes warmth, charm and aspiration…to design a car worth bonding with.”

Click here to read more about the Ford Start Concept and the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine.