FORD TO KEEP, NOT KILL, FLEX CROSSOVER!

[رانيا 2]

By Andrew Ganz Tuesday, Apr 26th, 2011 @ 11:47 a.m.
After Ford expanded its crossover lineup late last year with a softer, more car-like version of its Explorer, even company insiders suggested that something had to give. That something, it was generally assumed, would have to be the fairly slow-selling Ford Flex. But as our spies have recently discovered, the Flex will live at least a little longer.

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Introduced in 2008 as a 2009 model, the Flex was Ford’s first attempt at a three-row crossover based on a passenger car chassis. Riding on the same updated Volvo S80 architecture that also underpins the Ford Taurus and Ford Explorer (but not the current Volvo S80, which uses an all new structure), the Flex is more like a large wagon than a high-seating crossover.

Modest sales have not met Ford’s expectations, insiders say. Although the Flex was once selling around 4,000 units monthly, the Explorer has nipped into its older sibling’s numbers. Last month, Ford delivered just short of 2,500 units, a 29 percent drop from the year before when the redesigned Explorer had yet to be unveiled.

Aside from its polarizing squared-off styling, which was gleaned from the 2005 Ford Fairline concept car, the Flex is likely taking a sales hit because it doesn’t offer Ford’s much-ballyhooed MyFordTouch infotainment system offered in the automaker’s other two recent crossovers, the Edge and the Explorer.

The refreshed model spied here no doubt fixes the infotainment issue. Even though we can’t see photos of the interior, it’s safe to assume that Ford will add in the large touch screen and Microsoft-developed system to the premium crossover.

The Flex’s unique, boxy shape clearly remains, despite a new front fascia and some changes to the tailgate.

The engine room
We haven’t been able to look under the prototype’s hood, but the inclusion of Ford’s new 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder seems like a given, especially after Ford announced at the New York International Auto Show that the related Taurus will feature the high-torque, small displacement engine. The four-cylinder EcoBoost is also available in the Explorer.

It’s hard to say what direction Ford will take with the Flex; the automaker could take it more upmarket to put emphasis on the larger 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost unit, but as a loaded range-topping Flex Titanium already
tops $50,000 on its window sticker, it seems safer to guess that the automaker might concentrate more on the lower end of the market. Given that much of the Flex’s engineering and tooling costs have already been covered – since it has been on sale for about three years – Ford might have the profit margins in place to drop the entry-level list price below the current $29,220.

If Ford chooses to go in that direction, some of the Flex’s premium interior and trim bits might bite the dust to keep costs down.

Look for the refreshed Flex to make its debut in the next few months