Auto Channel

Global product push

Ford has seen the light and is continuing its global product push, instead of focussing almost exclusively on the American market. Europe has been good for Ford over the past few years with the Euro Ford Focus and Mondeo. Brazil has seen its own share of growth, over 20% last year and it will now see the introduction of the new, and very succesful (exceeded sales expectations by 30%) Ford Edge crossover.

“Ford is on a roll in South America, and our plan is to use our global product strengths to accelerate the introduction of more products that people really want and value around the world,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas.

Ford Brazil will also start selling the Ford Ka this year. But besides the new vehicles, Ford is also investing USD 1 billion in its Brazillian operations over the next four years in order to keep the momentum going.

The Ford Edge is powered by the 3.5-liter Duratec V-6, recognized as a top 10 engine by Ward, which produces 265 hp and is coupled with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The crossover is available with either front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. Ford has not announced pricing yet.