George S. May Business Blog

A few specs on Ford’s new Explorer

Ford has made the announcement that the next generation Explorer will be built at its Chicago Assembly Plant. Reports of the move have been swirling about for some time, so the announcement shouldn’t come as much surprise to most.

A major change on the “new” Explorer, is that it will be built on a car-based platform and will a major improvement in gas mileage. 

However, the best news has not to do with the creation of the car, rather, those who will help to create it. This new project looks to inject 1,200 new workers into the Chicago plant, doubling the current load of employees.

Details of the SUV are sparse, at this point, but according to reports from sources who were at the recent press conference, Ford does have a few prototypes at the Chicago factory. One source, who was unnamed, even gave a few nuggets of information to reporters on specs of the new Explorer.

“Ford spokesman Jay Ward wouldn’t confirm or deny most of the details, except to reiterate that the Explorer will move to a unibody platform and offer significantly better gas mileage than before.

• The new Explorer will share its platform with the Taurus and MKS, but it will offer a turbocharged four-cylinder EcoBoost engine that will get “over 30 mpg” on the highway, our source said. Other sources later told us that in this application reaching such a number is unlikely.
• Ford will also offer the “big V-6” from the Taurus and MKS, he said, with six-speed automatic transmissions across the board. At the 2008 Detroit auto show, Ford said a future turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder would produce 275 horsepower. That suggests the optional V-6 would be Ford’s 3.7-liter engine — likely tuned to make 300-plus horsepower, as it does in the 2011 Mustang.
• The current Explorer’s V-8 engine and 7,115-pound maximum towing capacity are a thing of the past: “It’s not going to be able to tow a motor home,” the source said, but towing capacity would be in the neighborhood of 3,500-5,000 pounds. There will be no V-8 offered.
• He characterized the new Explorer’s cabin as radically changed, on par with the transformation the Taurus’ interior underwent when it was redesigned for 2010. As in a number of Ford products, the Explorer will have recycled seat materials. It will also offer a third row.
• Exterior styling looks like a “bigger version of the Edge,” he said, with sporty features like a rear spoiler.
• High-tech features will include the latest Sync and MyFord Touch systems — albeit without the 2011 Lincoln MKX’s slide-bar touch controls, the source said — and a large central display screen.” (source)

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