FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: Five new Ford SUVs by 2018

Ford has revealed its three-year plan to roll out five new SUV designs in Europe, capitalising on increased global demand for SUVs from 'millenials'.

In a press release issued overnight, Ford in Europe stated that the Kuga and EcoSport would be updated before the end of 2015, but the five new SUVs in Europe would not include those two. They will, however, include the Edge (pictured), which is speculated to succeed the locally-built Territory when manufacturing at Ford's Geelong and Campbellfield plants concludes in October 2016.

Ford hasn't specifically identified the five new vehicles – barring the Edge – but the Ranger-based Everest, which was designed in Melbourne, would be one. In the press release Ford did make mention of the large Explorer and even larger Expedition, which could be two of the five new SUVs slated for European launch. The Explorer has already been ruled out for Australia, and the Expedition seems even more remote for the local market.

It all begs the one question: If Edge, Everest, Explorer and Expedition are four of the five new SUVs introduced in Europe, what's the fifth?

The manufacturer also announced in the press release that a recent survey indicated rapidly growing interest in SUVs was driven in Europe by young people aged between 71 and 34 – the so-called 'Millenials'. According to the survey, one in four Millenials plan to buy an SUV.

"The survey makes two important points – the SUV boom in Europe is not a passing fad and young people are not as ambivalent about car ownership as some suggest – especially when it comes to SUVs," said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford in Europe.

"For both rational and emotional reasons, many younger buyers in Europe see SUVs as the perfect choice for them."

In that respect, Europe is falling into line with well established buying trends in North America and Australia.

Ford anticipates its SUV sales in Europe will increase by 200 per cent of its 2013 sales tally – to 200,000 units – before the end of 2016.