Ford's newest SUV is B-I-G - Tentatively called "Everest"

[Marc]

Ford things B I G!!! From CNN

Ford's newest SUV is B-I-G!

Newspaper says automaker will unveil a large sports utility vehicle tentatively called "Everest."

December 12, 2005

According to a newspaper report, Ford is set to launch a new, super-size SUV.

Just two months after it pulled the plug on the massive Ford Excursion, the Detroit News said the automaker is preparing to unveil a vehicle tentatively called the "Ford Everest."

"Excursion was just too much. It went overboard," Joe Langley, and analyst with CSM Worldwide, told the newspaper. "But there's still a market for a (jumbo) SUV."

The Excursion, launched in 2000, was quickly dubbed the Ford Valdez by critics; and Ford (down $0.02 to $8.16, Research) ended production earlier this year as gas prices topped $3 a gallon.
Serving SUV demand

Even though the company has pursued a hybrid-heavy marketing strategy, the Detroit News reported that there is still demand in the lucrative SUV market.

"It's hard to wean yourself off of them," Langley was quoted as saying. "They're the crack of the American auto industry."

While Ford declined to comment on future product plans, a company spokesman told the paper that traditional truck-based SUV customers and consumers who prefer car-based crossover vehicles are beginning to form separate groups, and that the company is trying to satisfy both segments.

But it will be difficult to launch larger vehicles amid attempts to "green up" the company's image. Industry watchers told the newspaper that the introduction will be low-key, and that the vehicle will appear in showrooms as a high-end version of the Expedition.

The Detroit News said Ford will not show the new vehicle at the North American International Auto Show in January, instead pitching it hard in places that are dominated by target customers.
Super-size dimensions

Essentially a stretched version of the Ford Expedition, the new SUV will be over 19 feet long -- about 15 inches longer than the Expedition -- and will have more cargo room behind the third row of seats, the report said.

The SUV, which has yet to be given an official name, will debut at the same time as a longer version of the Lincoln Navigator, the newspaper said.

Unlike the titanic Excursion, the new SUV will be built on a heavy-duty truck frame and should fit in most garages, according to the report.