SPY PICS: Ford Edge Vignale testing

Ford's home-grown Territory SUV will cease production in Australia at the end of 2016, but its replacement is still yet to be officially announced.

The most likely candidate is the Ford Edge SUV, which in its first generation was sold in North America exclusively, but in its newest incarnation is soon to be released in Europe – and in right-hand drive form.

If it were to come to Australia, the Edge may wear the iconic Territory nameplate as opposed to the Edge name it carries in global markets.

The vehicle in these spy shots is believed to be the European-market Ford Edge Vignale, an upmarket variant of the Edge SUV that is meant to take on the likes of the Audi Q5 and BMW X3.

Based on the Mondeo/Fusion platform, the Ford Edge is a five-seater SUV in the US and Europe however a seven-seat variant was recently revealed for the Chinese market.

The Edge is also available with both petrol and diesel power, making it a suitable replacement for the Falcon-based Territory – if you can forgive the lack of third-row seating, and assuming the seven-seat Chinese Edge is off the table for Australia.

Like the Mondeo Vignale, the Edge Vignale will be distinguished from the rest of the range with Ford's highest levels of interior appointments and equipment, as well as having lashings of chrome and large alloy wheels on the exterior.

The Vignale variant also sees the most sophisticated driver-assistance systems fitted as well as Ford's already generous suite of safety systems such as radar cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and autonomous emergency braking.

Just as the Mondeo hasn't been launched here in Vignale specification, nor do we know whether the Edge will be sold here in the flagship spec. In fact it's not even certain that the Edge will replace the Territory at all, but the fact that the Edge is being prepared for global release – including RHD UK – suggests that the new SUV is the most likely candidate to succeed Territory in Australia.