Ford Vehicle

Ford’s Explorer, Back From The Dead As Consumers Seek More Efficient Features In Their Vehicles, Can The Drastic “America” Redesign Turn Around The Troubled SUV? Subscribe to BusinessWeek Ford Motor (F) is trying to jump-start one of its most iconic models. On Jan. 13 at the North American International Auto Show [NAIAS], the embattled Detroit automaker took the wraps off an all-new concept, the Explorer America.

The prototype vehicle is a tease of what the future might hold for a once popular SUV, sales of which have cratered thanks to rising fuel prices, safety problems, and buyers’ growing environmental concerns. Though designed to look like a rough-and-tumble SUV, the new Explorer America is built on a carlike unibody frame rather than a traditional truck frame. This setup, commonly referred to as a crossover, drastically improves fuel economy, drivability, and safety.

Marisa Bradley, a Ford spokeswoman, says the new vehicle is also intended to serve as a “poster child” for the company’s recently announced line of so-called EcoBoost engines, which further improve fuel economy via turbo boosting and direct injection technology. All told, the combination of smaller size and high-tech engine should give the Explorer America a 20% to 30% hike in fuel efficiency over today’s version.

The current Explorer is in desperate need of an intervention [BusinessWeek.com, 9/1/06]. Once a darling with the SUV-crazed American public, in recent years it has become an automotive pariah. In 2000, Ford sold more than 445,000 Explorers. In 2007, it sold just 137,813, down 23% from the preceding year, according to data provided by Automotive News. The Explorer has also suffered from a protracted rollover controversy that forced Ford to pay out millions of dollars in legal settlements.