Ford will unveil the new Australian-designed and engineered Everest large SUV next week. And to help build up some suspense the company has released this teaser image.
The teaser image is predictably vague, showing the headlight design and a bit of the front grille. It’s understood the new model will be based on the Ranger 4×4 ute only with an SUV wagon-like body with seven seats inside.
Ford says the new model will be “rugged, refined, and amazingly capable”. It will also build on “Ford’s long heritage as an innovator and leader in utility vehicles”, suggesting it will share the same heavy-duty underpinnings and major dimensions as the Ranger ute.
It has taken the Ford team five years to hone and develop the new model, which will soon go on sale in the Asia Pacific markets including Australia. Todd Willing, director of the Ford Design Centre in Melbourne, said,
“This is our vision of a large, seven-seat off-road vehicle that exemplifies how Ford’s ‘One Ford’ vehicle philosophy can apply for a vehicle created for Asia Pacific. The Everest is also further proof of the world-class design expertise here in Melbourne. Many of the talented team who worked on Everest – and continue to work on other Ford vehicles – have been educated right here in Victoria.”
Ford unveiled a concept version last year which gave us all a clue as to what to expect from the new model. It showcased sizeable dimensions which would make it larger than Ford’s current flagship SUV, the Falcon-based Territory.
The official unveiling will place at a special presentation in Beijing on November 13. It’s set to go on sale next year and will likely be offered with the Ranger’s 3.2-litre turbo-diesel five-cylinder engine. Stay tuned for more.
Will the ford ranger come to the USA?