In the past couple of months, sales agents from Ford Vietnam have been teasing the 2023 Territory on Facebook. The American carmaker hasn’t officially mentioned anything about it until now. Apparently, Ford Vietnam has made the next-generation Territory official by adding it to its website.
As a refresher, the SUV known as the next-generation Territory is a rebadged Ford Equator Sport that went on sale in China early this year. Just to make things clear, the current Territory is still being built alongside the Equator Sport. In China, the new SUV is positioned as a slightly more premium model than the SUV we’re familiar with.
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Ford Vietnam hasn’t released a lot of details for the next-generation Territory since it’s still categorized as a ‘Future Vehicle.’ The focus of its upcoming model preview is more on the vehicle’s exterior and interior styling. Ford’s new compact SUV features the American brand’s new ‘Progressive Energy in Strength’ design language.
Up front, it has the new-gen octagonal grille which is flanked by split LED headlights. Moving on to the sides, it has flowing lines and defined Mustang-like rear hips. At the back, it features slim horizontal taillights with LEDs that mirror the shape of the front daytime running lights. Based on the images, the next-gen Territory Titanium gets the same twin-five-spoke 19-inch alloy wheels as the Equator Sport Titanium.
Inside, it features Ford’s new cockpit design which has a flush-mounted digital gauge cluster right next to the infotainment system. Complimenting the modern minimalist dashboard is the neater center console which now features a shift dial instead of a traditional lever.
Although Ford Vietnam hasn’t provided specs for the next-gen Territory, the near-identical Chinese market Equator Sport is equipped with a new 1.5-liter turbocharged EcoBoost mill which produces 168hp and 260Nm of torque. This powerplant is mated to a new seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission.
While I was doing my research on the next-gen Territory, I came across an old video of what was possibly a pre-production Equator Sport and noticed that its start-up screen displayed the name ‘Territory’ instead of ‘Equator Sport.’ I guess Ford really planned to sell its new compact SUV under two different names.
The next-generation Territory will be launched in Vietnam later this year. Will we be getting it anytime soon? It’s still too early to tell. Besides, the Territory sold here by Ford Philippines is technically still current.
Would you want to see the next-generation Territory on our shores? Let us know in the comments.
