Referring to it as a ‘global utility vehicle’, Ford of Canada has announced that the second generation Edge SUV will, like the current model, be manufactured at Oakville in Ontario.
Ford’s announcement was made on the eve of the Canadian International Auto Show, with a prototype of the next generation model one of the highlights of the vehicle maker’s stand. The Ford Edge Concept was a world premiere at last November’s LA show.
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The successor model (project code: CD539) is due to enter production in the second quarter of 2015 for North America’s 2016 model year. It is expected to use the same CD4 platform as the Fusion.
Ford stated in November 2013 that the model will be sold in Europe but not until 2017. No explanation was given as to why it would be so long after the vehicle’s expected North American release. This has led to speculation that the Edge 2 might also be built alongside other CD4 models at Valencia in Spain (Mondeo 4, Galaxy 3 and S-MAX 2).
Ford announced a C$700m investment for Oakville in September 2013. This will be used to expand the plant’s manufacturing capability to meet surging global demand and preserve more than 2,800 jobs. Oakville Assembly manufactures the Ford Edge and the closely related Lincoln MKX, as well as the larger Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT crossovers.
The first generation Edge, meanwhile, is due to be built at Ford-Sollers’ Elabuga joint venture plant in the Russian republic of Tatarstan from later in the first quarter of 2014 so the replacement model should also be made there from 2016 or later. One of Ford’s Chinese JVs would also seem highly likely to build the next Edge.
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By GlobalDataFord insiders say the replacement for the Lincoln MKX will look quite different to the next Edge, in the same way that the new MKC appears to share little with the Ford Escape.
Author: Glenn Brooks
