LA MOTOR SHOW: Ford Edge Concept

Casually described as a design concept, Ford revealed the Edge Concept today providing an extremely clear indication of the all-new Edge crossover utility that is rumoured to be heading to Australia as the replacement for Territory.

“Utilities are a huge part of our story in Asia,” said Jim Farley, executive vice president Ford global marketing, but he stopped way short of confirming the new Edge will be heading Down Under.

The Ford chief wouldn't be drawn on whether the new Edge will be available in right-hand drive (RHD) to accompany Kuga and the EcoSport in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, the UK, India and Thailand.

There’s distinct division in Ford’s global utility crossover strategy. Farley describes the EcoSport and Kuga/Escape as global products built for global export to LHD and RHD markets; but the larger Edge and full-size Explorer remain LHD only with China, Brazil and Russia as key overseas markets.

“We don’t look at trends as much as we should,” said Farley, as he explained data predicting utility vehicle sales will grow globally at a considerable pace, and sharply in China by more than 115 per cent. Talking Ford specifically, Farley predicts 65% utility sales growth in Europe from 2013-2017, and he predicts utility sales in China during the same five-year period could grow significantly.

According to Ford, global utility vehicle sales grew 45% between 2007 and 2012. The utility segment now accounts for more than 13 million sales annually – 17% of the global automotive market.

“We feel we understand utilities very well at Ford,” he said.

However, mention Australia and Farley knows he has work to do in moving from local manufacturer to importer. The greatest challenge will be finding a replacement for Territory amongst Ford’s current global product range with the refinement and design sophistication to appeal to Australian buyers. Edge looks the part, and Australian buyers would appreciate the concept’s interior size and high level of interior comfort and refined touch points.

Looking back at past design concept reveals of Mondeo, Kuga, Fiesta and Taurus, Ford concepts don’t stray far in revealing design cues and unique features of the actual production vehicle.

The Edge design team was led by Kevin George, an American who previous to Ford was a toy designer, which may explain the concept’s attention to detail and luxurious treatment of colours and textures. He describes Edge in a few words: “Edge has charisma, a balance between accommodating and dominating.”

The concept keeps the pronounced three-bar grille as an immediately identifiable feature of Edge. The grille’s hexagonal shape is an obvious Ford identifier more so than the Blue Oval badge linking Edge’s familial exterior design cues with Fiesta, Focus and Escape.

George used chrome to highlight and brushed chrome to shadow in many places, and it is most effective on the grille and around the headlamps. In terms of first impression, the Edge Concept is a big step up from the current Edge.

The headlamps and tail lamps are unique in their deep, multi-facet reflecting surfaces and LED light sources. “Across the rear, we’ve used a ribbon of light to join the tail lamps,” described George.

The Edge Concept has not grown noticeably wider, taller or longer. It keeps Edge’s original compact proportions and its five-seat interior dimensions. “I could take what is great about the current Edge and reformulate it where needed,” he said in describing its proportions and roofline. George and the design team didn’t alter the roofline but they did tilt the rear glass forward to give more design appeal to the concept’s backside.

The effective combination of short glass area and tall body section gives the Edge Concept a sturdy, well-planted look. Its wide track and short overhangs accentuates even more a firm, strong stance.

Powertrain choice is likely to include low-pressure turbocharged four cylinder and V6 engines. Both are petrol, and Ford has no plans to offer diesel, at least not in the US.

The next-generation EcoBoost engines will feature start-stop technology, and the Edge Concept goes one technological step further with Active Grille Shutters that control air flow through the front to improve aerodynamics and reduce drag, to the benefit of fuel efficiency.

To improve efficiency further, unique air curtains are positioned at the outside edge of the lower fascia. The air curtains and ducting are designed to guide air from the front of the vehicle, through the front wheel wells and down the vehicle side to reduce turbulence and possibly also reduce wind noise.

Ford also promises the new Edge will incorporate many of the safety and driver-assist technologies becoming common in the industry.

These include:
>> Active park assist. Sensors and the steering system guide a vehicle into a parking spot; the driver controls the throttle and brake pedals.
>> Lane-Keeping System. Uses a forward-facing camera to scan the road and identify lane markings. The system decides if the vehicle is drifting out of its lane and will alert the driver by vibrating the steering wheel. If the driver does not react, the system provides steering torque to nudge the vehicle back toward the center of the lane.
>> Adaptive cruise control. Uses radar to keep a specific distance between the car in front, also includes collision warning with automatic brake support.
>> Blind Spot Information System. Radar sensors monitor the spaces next to and just behind the vehicle.

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