Ford has revealed a significantly facelifted Territory ahead of its official release in December.
The heavily revised version of the only Australian-made SUV is the latest in a staggered reveal campaign for the 2014 Falcon on which it's based.
Both the Falcon and Territory will be discontinued by October 2016, when Ford Australia closes its historic factory doors in Broadmeadows and Geelong for good.
At that point, next year's redesigned Mondeo will effectively become Ford Australia's flagship sedan, while Ford's all-new Mustang – also due on sale here in 2015 – will fill the performance car role for Ford.
Between then, meantime, the five-seat Edge crossover and seven-seat Everest off-roader will fill the void created by the Territory's departure.
No new information about the 2014 Territory has been announced, although Ford has now confirmed it will continue to be available with Ford's trusty Australian-made 4.0-litre inline petrol six and the popular V6 TDCi turbo-diesel, which currently accounts for more than half of all Territory sales.
As previewed by spy pics last month, Falcon will be released ahead of Territory's December launch, however the facelifted SUV adopts a milder version of the 2014 Falcon's distinctive new front-end design, dominated by a large trapezoidal grille like the Mondeo's.
Ford says the Territory's more purposeful front-end treatment, which follows the lead of its parent company's global SUV design DNA, combines with the packaging, functionality and space that customers expect from its flagship SUV.
Exterior Design Manager Nima Nourian said the 2014 Territory, which remains one of Australia's top-selling SUVs and will continue on sale alongside the EcoSport compact SUV and Kuga mid-sizer, has a lot to live up to.
"Our customers appreciate the functionality, seven-seat capability and fuel efficiency of the turbo-diesel but we also wanted to deliver a new level of visual appeal with the 2014 Territory,” he said.
“For 2014 the Territory gains a more robust, yet refined design and you won’t mistake it for anything else but a Territory. Visually the surfacing is more architectural and achieves a very cohesive and sophisticated look.”
Excluding exports to New Zealand and, in the past, Thailand and South Africa, Ford has sold more than 155,000 Territorys since 2004, culminating in a peak of 23,454 in 2005 – its first full year of sales.
“Our customers love the comfort, space and fuel efficiency and now the refreshed design will provide another compelling reason to buy," said Ford Australia President and CEO, Bob Graziano.
“It consistently ranks as one of the best-sellers in its class and importantly for our customers, is the only Australian designed and engineered SUV."
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