Sam Krahn 
Currently, the Ford Edge serves as a conventional goldilocks utility vehicle for people that need a little more room than the Escape, but don’t want to step all the way up to the three-row Explorer that’s larger, and more expensive. Then there’s the soon-to-be-released 2021 Ford Bronco body-on-frame SUV. It, too, will be a two-row midsize SUV. Then, there’s the upcoming Mustang Mach-E electric crossover on the other side of the spectrum. Needless to say, things are about to get a bit crowded. And Ford, according to a new report, has also realized this.
The Detroit Bureau suggests Ford may be canceling the next generation Ford Edge and its Lincoln Nautilus sibling.
According to the report, The Detroit Bureau’s insider sources have said Ford will cancel the two models for a few reasons. But primarily, ever since Ford purged most of its traditional cars from its lineup in favor of more popular SUVs, the brand’s lineup is growing with too many similar vehicles.
Speculation is that Ford could put out a shortened five seat U625 Explorer, similar to how Honda shrunk the Pilot to make the Passport. Platform sharing with an existing model would lower development and production costs on a vehicle that’s less profitable than it used to be. The RWD-based Ford CD6 platform underpinning the current Ford Explorer is expected to eventually underpin the S650 Mustang, as well. It’s entirely plausible that a RWD midsize utility vehicle could come from it.
Ford
This would also benefit Lincoln, where a rear wheel drive architecture would better position the SUV in the premium market. Plus, the Lincoln Aviator has gotten extremely positive reception, so a shortened five seat version could do well.
In a statement to The Detroit Bureau, Ford denied dropping the Edge from the lineup, but automakers are traditionally quiet about dropping a model until the moment it’s dead. This would be when the pair are up for replacement, in 2022 or 2023. If Ford were to drop the Edge and Nautilus, that would mean the end of the Oakville production site in Canada, which is Ford’s last Canadian plant, unless new product was allocated.
