Presenting a breakthrough combination of style, technology and strength, the American automaker launched its new Ford Everest Concept at the Bangkok International Motor Show today. The ASEAN debut of the Everest Concept follows its international reveal in Sydney in August 2013. Matt Bradley, President at Ford ASEAN said the Concept shows the bold new direction, which we envision for a midsize, 7-seater sports utility vehicle, which has been designed and engineered for global and ASEAN markets. Extending the automaker’s unsurpassed heritage of creating class defining sports utility vehicles, the Ford Everest Concept gets a stunning design, which hints at its exceptional capability and toughness. And, like the current Everest, the production version of this next-generation SUV will be built right here in Thailand.
The Ford Everest Concept builds on the company’s sports utility vehicle expertise and is aimed squarely at the international utility market, which grew 13% last year. Thanks to its growing lineup of products and international strengths, Ford outpaced this rapidly growing segment last year, selling 1.2 million utility vehicles, up 35% in 2012. A vehicle like Everest Concept will reinforce the company’s utility providing in the fast-growing ASEAN region, and comes after the introduction in the region of the all-new Ford EcoSport, a class-defining urban sports utility vehicle. Premium comfort and unshakable toughness sets the Everest Concept as a new benchmark for what it means to be a truly progressive SUV.
Featuring a refined yet powerful design, which is unmistakably Ford, the Ford Everest Concept is a strong precursor to a vehicle, which will meet the needs of customers in ASEAN markets looking for a highly capable vehicle that’s equally at home up-country or in the city, fusing premium refinement with world-class toughness. It is built upon key Ford design cues, blending refinement and sleekness with rugged and bold technical details. Headlamps connected to a prominent inverted trapezoid grille set high on the front allowed designers to maximize the headlamps’ dimensions, communicating better functionality while accentuating the SUV’s width and the grille. The result is a powerful yet strong presence for the entire front end, one which is unmistakably a Ford.
Moving back from the upright grille, the Ford Everest Concept’s headlamps are swept back for an aerodynamic look. The vehicle’s profile is sculpted, with tailored and sleek body sides, which give the Everest Concept a sophisticated and modern air. At the rear of the vehicle, designers placed prominent, chiseled taillamps over a negative scallop, making for a robust and sculptural rear, which contrasts with the square, flat liftgates on conventional sports utility vehicles. Combined with high ground clearance that indicates the vehicle’s off-road potential, its unique design reflects the SUV’s fun-to-drive Ford DNA.
Reflecting and amplifying the vehicle’s impressive capabilities and tough physique, the Ford Everest Concept is painted in a show-stopping red with a flash of orange, known as “Sunset Flare”. Powerful and bold, it has warmth that expresses the vehicle’s premium qualities. Created by Ford’s regional design and product development team in Australia, the Everest Concept is the latest proof point of Ford’s regional engineering and design capabilities, as it creates world-class vehicles for markets around the world and in Asia Pacific.
The Ford Everest Concept symbolizes our vision of an international Ford vehicle with regional heritage, which will allow customers to take on the world,” said Bradley. “It shows how we continue to implement an ongoing product-led transformation and further expand our showrooms across the ASEAN region.”
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With 65 plants worldwide and about 181,000 employees, the automaker’s automotive brands include Lincoln and Ford. The company offers financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company.
