Photo by Chefranden. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

This isn't the first time that Ford is trying to reinvent the Model T. The company developed a successor concept called the Model U, and has tasked young car designers to think about what a modern-day Model T would look like in the past. The vision of an updated Model T, back in May, was an all-electric spidery-looking thing. Now, Ford is trying to update the Model T again, turning to college students at five schools to "dream big and create a Model T concept for the 21st century." Maybe this way, an electric Model T will be more than just an Indiana Jones fiction.

Students at the five schools (the schools are listed in the press release after the break) in Germany, Australia and two U.S. states have about a semester (four months) to design a concept Model T that can "deliver an alternative transportation concept for tomorrow – and beyond." The vehicle should be tough and lightweight, hold at least two people, have a 125-mile range while "offer[ing] solutions that address sustainability aspects." Oh, and it should have a final cost of just $7,000. I mean, if Ford can't do this, then why shouldn't some undergrads be able to knock the idea out of the park?
[Source: Ford]

Photo: KEVIN A. WILSON, Autoweek

Think that the SUV and/or CUV craze is a relatively new phenomenon? Peter Horbury, head of design for Ford in the Americas, suggests that the Ford Model T was really a crossover. He has a point, considering that the old-timer sat rather high off the ground (because of the shoddy roadways at the time) and featured a modular design capable of hauling people, stuff, or a combination of both.

Ford wonders what a modern-day version of the T may look like and what it would be powered by. To find out, Ford commissioned some young designers the task of modernizing the Tin Lizzy. The winning design, created by Dong Trang, a junior at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, is an electric vehicle which features a removable battery. That battery is charged with on-board solar panels and an electricity-generating suspension system. The innovative modular structure can be converted from a hatchback to a pickup bed and can seat up to four passengers. Click past the break for some video of Trang explaining some of his concepts.