Ford New Zealand confirms the widely anticipated all-new Ford SUV, known by the global name Edge, will become part of New Zealand’s SUV line-up

  • At the same time, Ford New Zealand announces the introduction of a new Ford Kuga and upgraded Ford EcoSport in 2017
  • The introduction of the Ford Edge continues the global One Ford strategy, which also saw the introduction of the award-winning Ford Everest in October 2015 and the introduction of the first ever factory-produced right-hand drive Mustang

AUCKLAND, New Zealand. Wednesday 3 August 2016Ford New Zealand will launch the vehicle known globally as the Ford Edge – a key model driving the company’s global SUV success – in 2018 when utility vehicles sales are expected to pass car sales.

The Ford Edge will offer customers a world-class SUV experience, joining the recent arrival of the all-new Ford Everest in October 2015, one of the toughest SUVs in its segment.

With an emphasis on technology, the Ford Edge will offer consumers new levels of interior and exterior styling, and features usually found on vehicles at higher price points. It will also reflect the high uptake of the flagship Titanium variants across Ford’s SUV range, and will offer greater passenger interior space than the current Ford Territory.

The naming of the Ford Edge for the New Zealand market is still to be confirmed. A local nomenclature strategy is currently being investigated and will be confirmed with other product details closer to the Ford Edge’s arrival in 2018.

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One Ford Strategy

“In a record year for new car sales, Ford New Zealand is currently among the top two performing auto-makers in the country,” says Simon Rutherford, Managing Director, Ford New Zealand. “In addition to our strong performance in the light commercial and SUV segments, we’re also seeing continued growth in the passenger segments.”

“The introduction of the Ford Edge is a continuation of the One Ford strategy to standardise its product portfolio across the globe. It is the same strategy that saw the introduction of the first ever factory-produced right-hand drive Mustang in New Zealand, as well as the introduction of the award-winning Ford Focus[1],” says Rutherford.

“One Ford gives us access to one of the strongest global product lines in our history, with a solid offering of SUVs. We hand-pick products for New Zealand consumers that benefit from our global teams’ expertise.”

The all-new Ford Edge joins the already wide choice of Ford SUVs, complementing the existing line-up that includes the urban Ford EcoSport and Ford Kuga, and the thoroughly off-road capable Ford Everest.

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New Kuga and upgraded EcoSport in 2017

In addition to Ford Edge, Ford New Zealand confirms two updates to its local SUV line-up in 2017, a new Ford Kuga and an upgraded Ford EcoSport.

A new Ford Kuga will launch in early 2017, with even more stylish design and technology. The new model comes on the heels of rapid upgrades in the past year, and Ford New Zealand will, for the first time, be offering a front-wheel drive petrol variant of the Ford Kuga Trend in early 2017.

In 2015, Ford Kuga added a new 134kW and 176kW EcoBoost engines to offer consumers a great combination of power and fuel economy. Ford also standardised a reverse camera and SYNC 2 across the Ford Kuga range in 2016.

An upgraded EcoSport will be launched in late 2017 with leading safety, fuel economy, technology and quality. More details will be shared closer to launch.

SUV Growth – New Zealand and Beyond

“Ford will continue to be ready for SUV growth to reach even higher levels this decade. We are investing even more to offer the freshest models with leading safety, fuel economy, quality and technology,” says Simon Rutherford.

“Adding the Edge and expanding our SUV line-up comes as many New Zealand Millennials start having children and the Baby Boomers who grew up with utilities continue to buy them, even if a bit smaller as they empty their nests.”

The growth of SUVs in New Zealand is mirrored across the Asia Pacific region and the Ford Edge will play a major role in solidifying Ford’s position in the segment. The SUV segment in New Zealand has grown by a significant 10 percentage points over the past five years, while passenger cars sales have fallen by 15 percentage points. This has placed SUVs on a trajectory to overtake passenger cars as the top-selling vehicle type in local showrooms within the next two years. Through June 2016, 34 per cent of all New Zealand vehicle sales have been SUVs, with that figure increasing to 40 per cent among private buyers.

“This unprecedented growth has led to a proliferation of SUV models and an increasingly fragmented SUV market with specific customer demands,” says Simon Rutherford. “As a result, we need more tailored SUV products to serve the wider variety of demands for today’s SUV consumer.”

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Other additions to Ford New Zealand’s line-up: Ranger, Everest and Transit

In the light commercial segment, the Ford Ranger continues its dominance as New Zealand’s overall top-selling new vehicle in 2016 to date. The Ranger was significantly refreshed in late 2015 with a number of new features, smart technologies and enhancements throughout.

Ford New Zealand announces that the 2017 model year Ford Ranger XL models will add rear parking sensors and a rear view camera, with a minimal increase in price to reflect the change.

Ford New Zealand will also be including SYNC®3 and front parking sensors in all 2017 model year Ford Ranger XLT models, while SYNC®3 will be included in all 2017 model year Ford Ranger Wildtraks. The 2017 model year Ford Everest Trend and Titanium models will include SYNC®3, as well as ISOFIX, the international standard for attachment points for child safety seats in passenger cars. All these will come at no additional cost to consumers.

From early 2017, Ford New Zealand will also be offering Automatic Transmission options on the Transit Custom, Transit Custom Tourneo and Transit Cargo 350L.

*Press Releases are direct from the Manufacturer, and not edited in any way.

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It started at a young age with bedroom posters, the Countach of course. This slowly grew into a super car die-cast model collection, fifty five 1:18 models at the last count. At which point it had almost taken full control, the incurable Mad Car Disease ran deep though my veins all the way to the bone. And things for my loved ones just got worse as the cars where now being bought at 1:1 scale, after a BMW, HSV, and couple of Audi's, the disease reached my brain, pushing me over the edge and down the rabbits hole into the world of the bedroom poster.

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