17 November 2002: It is minimalist in the Japanese fashion, made in part of bamboo, has no welds, and could be delivered to you in a box of bits that you bolt together yourself. And it's a Ford car.

Well, so far just a concept, the latest from Ford Motor Company Vice President of Design J Mays, and which is part of an exhibition of his design work that opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles this weekend under the title of Retrofuturism: The Car Design of J Mays.

The vehicle is called MA, named for the Asian philosophy of 'the space between'. The philosophy refers to a kind of threshold where two concepts can exist in a mutually beneficial relationship. As a car, the MA represents the same idea, occupying a space between emotional and rational, art and science.

“The MA, with its architectural, minimalist appearance, poses what an automotive aesthetic might look like in the future,” says Mays, who joined Ford in 1997 and who has since then completed the development of several new models including the 2002 Ford Thunderbird, Ford Forty-Nine concept car and the Ford GT, which all take their inspiration from classic models of the past. “This car is hard to pin down – and that’s what the MA is all about. It’s about proposing solutions that are not obvious, that are between our traditional visions for a car.”

Designed totally on a computer, the MA uses a futuristic combination of materials: bamboo, aluminum and carbon fiber. The car has no welds. Instead, 364 titanium bolts hold the vehicle together.

Environmental responsibility plays a key role in the MA. Bamboo, a regenerative grass that grows back every five years, figures prominently in the open-air design. Only a few parts are painted. There are no hydraulic fluids and none of the industrial adhesives typically used in automobiles, making the MA more than 96 percent recyclable. The MA concept uses a zero-emission, low-speed electric engine that has virtually no environmental impact. However, the car could also be outfitted with a small conventional gasoline engine.

The MA is targeted at younger customers looking for new interpretations of an automobile. The MA’s low-slung, aerodynamic wedge shape and mid-engine balance conjure up images of a two-seat, neighborhood sports car. Instead of being produced in a plant, the vehicle comes in a more than 500-piece kit, ready for assembly. At the MOCA exhibit, the MA is displayed both as a completed car and as a kit of individual pieces ready for assembly.

“This would be a great hobby vehicle,” said Mays. “You could put it together in your garage at home with your son or daughter.”

The exhibition runs through March 9, 2003 and marks the first comprehensive museum exhibition devoted to the work of an American automobile designer. A broad array of Mays’ work is featured, including concept cars, development models, video footage, new photography and original drawings.