Ford recently announced that they are about to launch four new SUVs at the Chicago Auto Show. There are no definite names were disclosed, but it has been said that the automaker might lunch a crossover, off-road and hybrid vehicles.
"As members of the 80-million-strong millennial age group enter their prime child-rearing years, a leading indicator of more SUV sales, nearly 80 million aging baby boomers continue to prefer their SUVs," Ford's U.S. sales chief Mark LaNeve said in a statement, according to Paultan.org. "It's a demographic double whammy and it all points to one thing - more SUVs for the foreseeable future."
"In terms of a longer-term trend of people moving from passenger cars into SUVs, we think that will continue beyond fuel prices. It's been going on for six years," he told reporters at the Midwest Automotive Media Association, Chicago Tribune added.
The Motley Fool reported Ford will feature a small crossover SUV to match Chevy's Trax. The car creator headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan has a U.S. lineup that can carry a smaller SUV compared to Escape.
It has been known that General Motors is doing great with small Chevy Trax while Honda is still finding its market with the same-sized HR-V. However, Ford already has a subcompact crossover SUV with EcoSport, which is already out in Europe, China and the growing markets of India and Brazil.
Additionally, Ford is also set to create a couple of off-roaders to compete with Jeep. Several insiders revealed that the company is eyeing to move the production of Focus and C-Max and will start to build a Ranger midsize pickup.
In fact, the Ranger is being complimented by the off-road fans in Australia, but unfortunately, it is not yet sold in the U.S. Hence, the U.S.-market Ranger would be for retail as a ""lifestyle" truck with good off-road chops" in rival with GM's Chevy Colorado and Toyota's Tacoma.
Lastly, Wall Street Journal noted that Ford is also planning to develop a hybrid automobile to compete with Toyota's Prius starting in the next few years in Mexico. Knowing the market trends for the past few years, Ford is looking forward in having their own hybrid vehicle, a small-but-roomy crossover SUV.
