DETROIT - It began simply enough, the turnaround of Ford Motor Co.'s European business. Ford of Europe asked its customers what they liked about its cars and how to make them better.

The questions - and answers - led to a line of popular and award-winning European vehicles, and a template for the new North American models Ford is counting on to save the company.

"We developed a product strategy based on the customers' words,'' said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president for global product development.

Kuzak's team asked the question when he ran European product development, a job that saw Ford drastically improve the style, quality and overall appeal of its cars.

"They wanted cars that were great to look at, great to sit in, had great fuel economy, unmistakable Ford looks and exceptional value,'' Kuzak said.

Give an engineer a simple set of statements, next thing you know, you're sitting on a pile of data. Kuzak's engineers turned the customers' desires into numerical targets for handling, performance, fuel economy and the look and feel of their vehicles' interior and bodies.

The result was a product line with looks, performance and quality that have won raves. It includes the outstanding Mondeo midsize sedan and the new Fiesta subcompact and Focus that arrive in America in 2010.

The radical change in the vehicles' looks and performance won't be to everyone's taste, and that's just fine, Kuzak said.

"We won't try to be all things to all people,'' he said. "We're looking to make an emotional connection - fun to drive, remarkably quiet interiors and great looks.''

The Flex is the first U.S. Ford-brand vehicle to reflect the new process.

"The early indications are good,'' Kuzak said. "We're getting the same feedback on the Flex that the Mondeo got in Europe.''

While the Mondeo, Fiesta and Focus are examples of Ford's European design theme, the Flex is all-American. The boxy two-tone Flex and the sleek Fiesta are both immediately recognizable as Ford vehicles, despite their drastically different shapes and sizes.

"Smaller cars can have European flair and be sold around the world,'' said Peter Horbury, Ford executive director of design for the Americas.

The dramatic "kinetic design'' look of the Fiesta, Mondeo and Focus was created in Europe, but models using the look here and on other continents get input from design studios around the world, Horbury said.

"We're working on the future look now,'' he said. "Vehicles sold globally will have global design DNA. Our studios in all parts of the world are doing competitive designs for global products.

"Some of that will spill over to North America-only vehicles," he added, but "iconic names here like the Mustang, Explorer and F-150" must have designs that connect with the nameplates' history. The Dearborn design studio will remain the lead shop for crossovers, SUVs, the Mustang, larger cars and full-size pickups.

More immediately, Ford's European interior design chief has been working with suppliers in North America to make sure they can provide the same fit, appearance and feel the company's European vehicles have.

"The process of using our global resources is moving very fast," Horbury said. "There's really no alternative."