Several iconic Ford nameplates are in the mix for a comeback – but not as we know them
Is the Ford Capri about to be resurrected?
Following the trademarking of the Capri name alongside several others last year and recent comments from senior Ford execs, there are solid indications Ford is on a mission to reinvent a host of its classic nameplates.
And according to UK website Auto Express, the Capri is indeed returning to active duty.
But don’t expect Ford to wheel out an affordable sports coupe to take on the Subaru BRZ in the spirit of the original Ford Capri like, for example, last year’s tough-looking two-door scorcher based on the classic coupe sold between the late 1960s and 1980s.
Nor a reborn Ford Capri convertible, which was an unsuccessful attempt to take on the Mazda MX-5 built in Australia in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
No, Ford is apparently plotting a range of electric SUVs similar to the Mustang Mach-E and slapping recognisable names on them.
And now this render by Nikita Chuiko shows how Ford might adapt some of the Capri’s iconic design cues into a sporty mid-size SUV.
The unofficial design reinterprets the quad headlight design that adorned several different Capri models, but the rest of the design has very little in common with its spiritual forebear.
“Retro designs aren’t moving us forward. It’s always about totally new interpretation: that’s what makes it interesting,” Ford Europe chief of design Amko Leenarts told Autocar at the launch of the new Ford Explorer in March 2023.
Ford and Volkswagen are already bedfellows, with the new Ford Ranger and the second-generation Volkswagen Amarok sharing the same platform, and their collaboration will continue with a new Ford Explorer EV set for a mid-2023 release in Europe, ahead of a potential Australian launch.
Several media outlets have reported the Capri will be a second electric SUV based on Volkswagen’s MEB EV platform, and expected to become as a key pillar in Ford’s global line-up alongside the Puma, Mustang, Explorer and Ranger.
There’s no timeline on when me might see the born-again Ford Capri, but it’s looking likely that Ford’s next electric SUV will be informed by the VW MEB platform, which means two battery sizes (52kWh and 77kWh) offering ranges of roughly 350km and 540km respectively.
Ford will likely offer the new Capri electric SUV in single- and dual-motor guises; the latter could even wear an ST badge and pump out up to 250kW in an attempt to create a link with high-performance Capri models like the RS 2600.
The blue oval brand has form in successfully reviving past nameplates, the Mustang the most obvious example but also the Bronco and Maverick.
Leenarts wouldn’t be drawn on which of the recently trademarked names will be used on the next tranche of Ford models – which in addition to the Capri include the Cortina, Escort, Granada and Orion.
But he certainly didn’t pour cold water on the idea of resurrecting more classic badges, telling Autocar: “The public loves that we’re bringing nameplates to new territories.”
Watch this space.
Digital images: Nikita Chuiko vis Kolesa.ru
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Keyword: Ford Capri to return… as an SUV?