Ford Everest Concept steals show in Bangkok

BANGKOK, Thailand—Forget the ongoing political turmoil. For a precious two-week period in March and April (March 25-April 6, to be exact), Thailand is all about cars. And judging from replies from local citizens and car industry executives alike—most of whom are jaded by the seemingly never-ending political brouhaha in Bangkok—they would really rather focus on the cars.

Thailand is about cars, after all. The kingdom has been setting the pace in automobile sales in the ASEAN region for close to a decade, with manufacturers churning out vehicles to the tune of over 1.3 million cars sold and exported in 2013. To put that in perspective, the Philippines sold around 200,000 cars last year. In fact, most of the Japanese-branded pickups and SUVs—plus a few sedans—sold in the Philippines are imported from Thailand.

No surprise then that the region looks to Thailand as a crystal ball for what models will be debuting in their respective markets. And this year, quite a number of significant unveilings happened in the sprawling Challenger Hall of Impact Convention Center in the heart of Bangkok.

Biggest among these was Ford’s, which took the wraps off the much-awaited all-new replacement to its long-lived Ford Everest 7-seater SUV. The ASEAN debut of the Ford Everest comes in the heels of its global reveal in Sydney last August 2013.

Eager buyers should not expect to get their new Everest anytime soon, though. Ford refers to the vehicle unveiled as a Ford Everest Concept—and points to delivery dates of over a year from now. 

“The Ford Everest Concept shows the bold new direction that we envision for a midsize, seven-seat SUV that has been designed for ASEAN and global markets,” said Matt Bradley, president, Ford ASEAN.

“Extending Ford’s unsurpassed heritage of creating class-defining SUVs, the Everest Concept features a stunning design that hints at its toughness and exceptional capability. And, like the current Everest, the production version of this next-generation SUV will be built right here in Thailand,” he added.

The Ford Everest Concept builds on Ford’s SUV expertise and is aimed squarely at the global utility market, which grew 13 percent in 2013. Ford outpaced this rapidly growing segment in 2013, selling 1.2 million utility vehicles, up 35 percent from a year earlier.

A vehicle like the Ford Everest Concept will strengthen Ford’s utility offering in the fast-growing ASEAN region, and comes after the introduction in the region of the all-new Ford EcoSport 5-seat urban SUV. Ford claims that the new Everest will be the new benchmark in reliability, versatility and comfort in its class.

Featuring a powerful, yet refined, design, the Everest Concept is a strong precursor to a vehicle that will meet the needs of customers in ASEAN markets looking for a highly capable vehicle, blending world-class toughness with functional style. The new Everest was created by Ford’s regional design and product development team in Australia.

But while Ford executives may call it a “Concept”—they kept mum when pressed for specifics like dimensions, drivetrains, and body type—for all intents and purposes, it is probably at least 90 percent of what the final production model will be. And like the Everests before it, the new one will almost certainly be heavily based on Ford’s own Ranger pickup.

The Everest Concept is built upon key Ford design cues, combining sleekness and refinement with bold and rugged 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 emphasizing the grille and the SUV’s width. The result is a strong and particularly compelling front end.

The headlamps are swept back for a modern and aerodynamic look. The vehicle’s profile is sculpted with sleek and tailored body sides that give the Everest Concept a modern and sophisticated air.

At the back of the vehicle, designers placed prominent, chiseled tail lamps over a negative scallop, making for a sculptural and robust rear that contrasts with the square, flat tailgates on traditional SUVs. A high ground clearance underscores the vehicle’s off-road and water-wading capabilities.

The Ford Everest Concept show car was painted in a show-stopping red with a flash of orange, which Ford calls “Sunset Flare.”

“The Everest Concept represents our vision of a global Ford vehicle with regional heritage that 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,” he concluded.