Ford to dump Territory nameplate

Ford Australia has confirmed the large SUV that will belatedly replace its discontinued, locally-made model in 2018 won't be called the Territory.

The Blue Oval's Australian chief announced the decision to retire the Territory name at this week's launch of the Escape – the rebadged, renamed replacement for the unloved Kuga – and the first rear-wheel drive Everest.

Until now, Ford Australia had said it was considering dusting off the well-regarded name of Australia's only homegrown SUV for its new imported large SUV, but Graeme Whickman this week said it will “harmonise our global approach in terms of nomenclature”, suggesting the Canadian-made Edge will wear the same name here.

“We’re going to have everything that begins with E sitting in this market,” referring to Ecosport, Escape, Everest and Edge. In North America, Ford also sells the larger Explorer and colossal Expedition, neither of which are produced in right-hand drive.

“Territory is a vehicle that’s close to Australians’ hearts … you’ve got to treat that in a way that’s proven but also a respectful, graceful way. My view is that if I had to choose, then I might be looking for a new name.”

In a thinly veiled attack at Ford's arch-rival Holden, which has chosen to continue the Commodore name for the German-built, Opel Insignia-based model that will be imported from 2018 -- after homegrown Commodore production ends next year -- Whickman said that like the Falcon badge, the Territory nameplate will end with local manufacturing.

“I think they [Falcon fans] would have been unhappy if we’d put that name on a vehicle that didn’t live up to the legacy or the history that vehicle has.”

Apart from the fact it won't secure supplies until 2018, one reason Ford Australia is taking so long to decide the name of its new large SUV is that the Edge trademark is owned in Australia by Toyota, which continues to apply it to special-edition models including the RAV4 SUV.

The Toyota Edge trademark is up for renewal in November 2022 and, should Ford not succeed in convincing Toyota to let it use the name, it could always revert to the Explorer nameplate, which was previously sold in Australia.

Asked what he would do if Toyota did not agree to relinquish or sell the Edge trademark, Whickman said: "For us we want to have a globally aligned, One Ford global approach...

"If that’s something that doesn’t transpire in terms of its availability then we’ll look at other options. Many of our SUVs are in that ‘E’ space. We’ll be looking at that sort of thing.”

Ford is also yet to confirm whether – like the outgoing Territory, which ceased production on October 7, and the Everest – Australia's Edge will be available with seven seats.

While a longer seven-seat Edge is produced in China, Canada is the only source of right-hand drive versions and currently only produces five-seat models, including the UK's diesel version that the Australian model is expected to echo.

In the meantime, in the absence of the sub-$40K Territory, bridging the gap between the five-seat Escape (from $28,490) and the seven-seat Everest (from $54,990), Ford will next year release a range of five-seat Everest models potentially priced from under $50,000.