Ford reveals three-year plan to sell more SUVs

Five new all-wheel-drive vehicles form Ford’s plan to expand market share in the next three years

Ford has announced plans to launch five all-new or redesigned SUV and crossover vehicles across Europe in the next three years.

The drive to increase Ford’s SUV sales by 200% by the end of 2016 starts with the arrival of updated versions of the mid-size Kuga and Ford Ecosport compact SUV, both due by the end of the year. 

We give the Ford Ecosport a thorough going over in our road test

The new Kuga will see the introduction of new colour options and an enhanced multimedia system. The new multimedia system, SYNC 2, has an 8in touchscreen that controls the climate settings, sat-nav functions and Bluetooth. The system features voice activation.

The Ecosport facelift loses its rear mounted spare wheel in favour of a tyre mobility kit, and the updated car will offer improved refinement, performance and sharper driving dynamics.

Early 2016 will see the introduction of the firm’s large SUV, the Ford Edge. It will make its debut at the Frankfurt motor show next week. The Edge will also be offered in the UK for the first time.

Two crossovers are then expected to join the range, based on the Ford Fiesta and Ford Focus.

The ambitious targets will see all-wheel-drive vehicles account for 50% of all Fords sold by 2016, when the option will be available on the Ford Mondeo, Ford S-Max, Ford Transit and Ford Galaxy models too. The new Focus RS was released with the new Ford Performance AWD with dynamic torque vectoring earlier this year, and the Ranger pick-up is currently offered with driver-selectable 4WD.

A Ford-sponsored survey in Europe indicates that the SUV sales boom is set to accelerate, with a drive from buyers aged between 17 and 34. 

Read more with our Ford Ranger review

Matthew Griffiths