Ford will unwrap its long-awaited, American-flavoured electric crossover on 21 March – as the big next step in a radical rethink of its European operations and line-up.
Posting on his personal Linkedin profile, Ford’s European passenger car boss Martin Sander said: “With our brand-new Ford Motor Company EV from Europe being revealed next month, it’s now time we start getting excited.”
He also confirmed the specific reveal date and dropped a potential hint at the new car’s name and positioning with the hashtag #ExploringReinvented. Ford has so far remained tight-lipped on a name for its new model, but does already sell a large SUV called the Explorer in the US and mainland Europe – which notably bears similarly blocky proportions to the EV prototype we have seen testing in recent weeks.
Autocar has previously reported that Ford plans to revive more historic names for new cars, following its reborn Ford Puma crossover and Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV, but it has not previously been forthcoming with details about which could make the cut.
In a brief video accompanying the post (below), Ford of Europe design chief Amko Leenarts lifted the sheet to give a look at the new crossover’s two-tone alloy wheels, which certainly hint at a rugged, urban character.
Recent spy shots give a clearer idea of how the newcomer will be differentiated from Ford’s existing European line-up – including the Ford Mustang Mach-E – in line with the company’s plan to emphasise its American heritage.
It looks to be a similar size to the combustion-powered Ford Kuga SUV but is squatter and lower, with a blockier two-box silhouette and straighter edges – cues derived from Ford’s popular US-market F-150 and Bronco SUVs.
Its size clearly indicates that it will use the same variation of the MEB platform as the mid-size Volkswagen ID 4, rather than the shorter derivative used for the Volkswagen ID 3 and Cupra Born hatchbacks.
We expect the new Ford to measure roughly 4500m long and 1850mm wide, to have a wheelbase of roughly 2800mm and to come with a choice of rear- and four-wheel-drive powertrains, offering outputs ranging from 146bhp to 295bhp. A pair of battery options could give around 210-300 miles of range.
The first Ford EV to use the MEB platform will be revealed in March before replacing the Ford Fiesta at the firm’s production line in Cologne, Germany, around the middle of the year.
This new EV will mark a step change in the design of Ford’s European-market cars. As previously reported by Autocar, Ford’s most successful US-market cars – the Bronco and F-150 most notably – will influence the design of its future global products.