The SYNus concept was designed by Jose Paris (exterior) and Joe Baker (interior). It was designed for the 2005 North American International Auto Show, and shares the 2.0 DOHC Diesel engine and powertrain from the 2nd generation Ford Mondeo.

The design was inspired by the design used for bank vaults, this is also functional, as the frame and windows are designed to be bulletproof, this is also the reason why the SYNus does not have any back windows, instead, camera’s and screens are used as a functional replacement.

The concept’s name was from a combination of “synthetic” and “us” which created a “urban sanctuary”, according to Ford. This also extends to it’s most unique feature, “lockdown mode”. In this mode, the doors lock and bullet proof window blinds are closed on top of the windows, the car’s seats can then be swivelled around, allowing passengers to watch movies or similar things.