The Explorer name likely holds more marketing weight than Flex or Edge, but it may also carry the residue of the whole Explorer/\Firestone tire controversy, when over 200 deaths and thousands of injuries were linked to Firestone tires equipped as standard equipment on the popular SUV. All four of these vehicles are built at the Oakville, Ont., assembly plant, use similar V-6 engines, and function as front- or all-wheel-drive family haulers.īut on the other side of the cannibalization coin, given the similar architecture of the Flex and the Explorer, there may also be the future possibility of adding Explorer production to the Oakville plant relatively quickly and inexpensively if demand for the SUV takes off. You can be sure that Ford of Canada exec and union types will be watching Explorer sales closely, because the market for large and rugged off-road-ready SUVs has fallen off a cliff, so the Explorer may tempt people looking at Ford's Edge and Flex, and possibly Lincoln's MKX and MKT. The Explorer will go on sale in North America this winter, coming standard with three rows of seats a V-6 engine will be standard and a 2.0- litre four-cylinder Ecoboost engine as an option.īuilt on a chassis shared with the Taurus and Ford Flex, the six or seven-seat Explorer will be built in Chicago.
For what Ford contends will be a more outdoorsy SUV than the Edge or Flex, it sure picked a city-friendly launch on Monday, revealing the 2011 Explorer officially on Facebook and in a media blitz in New York City by CEO Alan Mulally, highlighting the importance Ford is placing on this launch.įord had previewed the vehicle for various media outlets, with an embargo for Monday at midnight (Sunday night) that held surprisingly well, an avalanche of preview pieces hitting the web first thing Monday, including details on Ford of Canada's consumer site.
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