Ford comes up with new versions

The unveiling on Sunday at the North American International Auto Show marked the beginning of Ford’s ‘‘Year of the Car.’’ The emphasis on cars marks a radical change for Ford, which has put most of its resources in recent years into pickups and sport-utility vehicles.

But with Japanese carmakers gaining ground in the truck market, analysts say US companies could no longer afford to neglect cars, which still make up 47 per cent of US auto sales, according to J.D. Power and Associates.

‘‘I think you’re going to see people moving slowly back into cars,’’ said J. Mays, Ford’s vice-president for design.

Calling the Five Hundred ‘‘the reinvention of the family car,’’ the company said the four-door sedan boasts the vast cargo space, ‘‘all-weather confidence’’ and high seating associated with SUVs.

‘‘While the industry tries to create new car-based crossovers, the Ford Five Hundred stands out alone as the first crossover-based car,’’ said Phil Martens, vice-president for product creation. (PTI)