Ford’s Stylish and Spacious All-New Kuga Stars at Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan

• Ford shows stylish all-new Kuga at world renowned furniture and design event Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan
• Advanced and spacious all-new Kuga compact SUV features a hands-free automatic tailgate activated by kicking below the rear bumper, rear seats that fold flat at the touch of a button, and an increased 82-litres boot space
• Kuga also comes with intelligent all-wheel drive and Torque Vectoring Control systems for improved driving dynamics

MILAN, April 19, 2012 – The all-new Ford Kuga is today on show at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, one of the most prestigious global furniture and design events in the world.

The event will showcase the evolution of Ford’s Kinetic design on the popular compact SUV platform, highlighting its new spacious, high quality interior.

It also will give attendees the opportunity to see its technical advances first-hand. These include the introduction of a hands-free automatic tailgate, which can be opened and closed simply by kicking a foot under the rear bumper.

“Innovative technologies like the hands-free automatic tailgate clearly sets new Kuga apart from its competitors,” said Ford of Europe Chairman and CEO Stephen Odell. “But more importantly they provide customers with everyday advantages. All-new Kuga is more spacious, dynamic and capable than the current model, which continues to be popular with our European customers.”

Ford’s voice-activated in-car connectivity system SYNC also will be available on Kuga. It features Emergency Assistance, which enables SYNC to help occupants place a call to the emergency services directly in the event of an accident.

A range of driver assistance technologies will also be offered on Kuga, including the parallel parking aid Active Park Assist, and sensor-based Blind Spot Information System, which indicates with a warning light in the door mirror that a potential hazard is in the driver’s blind spot.

The all-new Kuga features boot-space with an increased capacity of 82-litres, while the rear seats fold flat at the touch of a button.  

Ford of Europe’s executive design director, Martin Smith said: “We’ve evolved the vehicle to incorporate more space and a faster silhouette, a more precise execution and a higher quality feel.”

From the initial design, new Kuga was engineered to be as visually appealing up close as it is from a distance with spaces between panels no wider than 0.5mm. The craftsmanship inside emphasises feel and touch through use of a soft instrument panel and soft door upper roll. Particular attention was paid to deleting exposed fasteners on moving parts like tailgate, sun visors and glove box. A Sony branded audio system with premium speakers and surround sound also will be offered.

The smart Kuga all-wheel drive (AWD) system assesses road conditions 20 times faster than it takes to blink an eye, readjusting the AWD power split to the wheels to give the driver the best combination of handling and traction. Driving dynamics are also improved by the introduction of the Torque Vectoring Control (TVC) system first offered on the new Ford Focus.

Engines available on Kuga include 140PS and 163PS versions of Ford’s popular 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engine, with Ford PowerShift automatic gearbox as an option. Kuga will also offer the powerful yet fuel efficient 1.6-litre EcoBoost petrol engine, already available in Ford Focus and C-MAX.

The Kuga will be available in Europe and Asia in late 2012, the Escape-badged version for the North American markets will be in dealerships this summer.

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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 164,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com

Ford of Europe is responsible for producing, selling and servicing Ford brand vehicles in 51 individual markets and employs approximately 66,000 employees. In addition to Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford of Europe operations include Ford Customer Service Division and 22 manufacturing facilities, including joint ventures. The first Ford cars were shipped to Europe in 1903 – the same year Ford Motor Company was founded. European production started in 1911