Vignale and ST versions of the Ford Kuga could be on the cards as part of the brand’s SUV boom.
The brand recently announced plans to expand its range of current SUVs from three (EcoSport, Kuga and the newly launched Edge) to five. Making more of the existing models is likely to be on the agenda too.
Ford’s posh Vignale sub-brand is currently limited to only the Mondeo, but more models are coming and the Kuga looks set to be one of them.
The Kuga recently took another step upmarket with the addition of the SYNC2 infotainment system, and Auto Express understands it is likely to go further still.
Asked directly if Vignale SUVs were possible, Roelant de Waard, vice-president, sales, marketing and service, Ford of Europe, explained:“We believe SUVs are going to be a major segment, and expect it to grow to around 27 per cent of the marketplace. Because it gets so big there will be more proliferation in bodystyles and executions.
“The answer is yes in general, but I am not going to say which ones. We have announced the S-MAX Vignale and then it will expand beyond that.”
However, the Kuga is the obvious candidate given the modest nature of the EcoSport and the fact the Edge has only just arrived.
Continued de Waard: “Vignale is an answer to sectors where we have very high take rates of [high-spec] Titanium and Titanium X, to give even more to these customers.
“It is perfectly valid to speculate that on vehicles where we have high series take rates, they are the first ones we will look at.”
Currently, the take-up rate of top-spec Kugas is 70 per cent, making a Kuga Vignale an enticing prospect for the company.
Intriguingly, an ST Kuga could be a possibility too: “With the maturing of the SUV segment increasingly we will see all derivatives come to that segment, and yes some [other manufacturers] are experimenting with that [performance SUVs].
“All I can say is that we have a successful range of sport versions of our SUVs already in the US.”
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