GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: No-show for Ford's next Territory

The production version of Ford’s new-generation Edge crossover – the most likely candidate to replace Australia’s home-grown Territory after production stops in 2016 – failed to make an appearance at this week’s Geneva motor show.

Instead, the Blue Oval wheeled out the same Edge concept that debuted at the Los Angeles show last November, and staged the world premiere of its facelifted Focus.

Ford is yet to confirm whether the Edge, which is now odds-on to surface in production guise at the New York show in April, will replace the Territory post-2016, when it quits Australian manufacturing.

But since the concept’s LA unveiling it has announced the new Edge will be made at its Oakville plant near Toronto in Canada and exported to more than 60 countries.

The company remains mum on whether Australia will be one of those countries, Ford Motor Company COO Mark Fields continuing the tradition at Geneva, where he told motoring.com.au only that: “We haven’t announced which countries it will go to yet”.

Ford Australia yesterday restated its intention to release upgraded Territory and Falcon models by the end of this year, as well as the facelifted Focus and all-new Mustang, Mondeo and Everest in 2015.

However, there was a conspicuous absence of any mention of the Edge in yesterday’s press release, in which Ford said it will refresh its entire model range by 2017.

Ford says it continues to examine its options for a seven-seat crossover post-Territory, which will be sold alongside the more hard-core Everest and could continue to be badged as a Territory.

The Edge concept is only a five-seater, but is expected to be produced with at least a seven-seat option, and in right-hand drive. It rides on a similar wheelbase to the outgoing Edge and the Territory.

Ford should have released a new-generation Explorer by 2017, but it seems most likely there will be a seamless transition from the locally-built Territory to the imported Edge by October 2016 at the latest.

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