Ford to reveal the redesigned 2011 Explorer online next week

After months of teasing about 20,000 Facebook friends, Ford Motor Co. will reveal the redesigned 2011 Explorer to the public on Monday.

It's the first time an automaker has revealed a redesigned vehicle online rather than at an auto show.

The public reveal also will take place in front of employees, dealers and members of the media at Ford's world headquarters in Dearborn, Mich.

The 2011 Explorer, which goes on sale this winter, is a new design. It is now a crossover engineered on a car-based platform rather than a truck-derived SUV. No pricing has been announced.

Ford sees the Honda Pilot, Toyota 4Runner and GMC Acadia as the Explorer's main rivals.

Under its plan to reveal the Explorer online rather than at an auto show, the automaker gradually has been releasing information about the crossover on Facebook, including teaser images.

"We wanted to have the Explorer stand out" from the crowd of unveilings and other events at a big auto show, Eric Peterson, Ford's crossover marketing and communications manager, said in an interview last month.

Ford also plans to show the 2011 Explorer at auto shows this year, with the Los Angeles show in November marking the redesigned model's auto show debut.

Market shifts

The 2011 Explorer underscores a new reality in the U.S. marketplace: Demand for truck-based SUVs has collapsed, while sales of car-based, fuel-efficient crossovers have soared.

In its new generation, the Explorer no longer will offer a V-8 engine. Instead it will offer a 3.5-liter V-6 as standard and an optional two-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine.

Ford says the smaller engine will increase fuel efficiency 30 percent compared with the current V-6-equipped Explorer. Both engines will come paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, also for improved fuel economy.

The 2011 Explorer, which seats seven, will use the same platform as the new Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS sedans and the Ford Flex crossover. The Explorer also will offer third-row seats as standard equipment.

The current Explorer, equipped with two-wheel drive and a four-liter V-6, is rated at 14 mpg city/20 highway. With a 30 percent increase in fuel economy, the EcoBoost-equipped Explorer should deliver 18/26.

Ford engineers used lighter and stronger high-strength steels such as boron to add durability and reduce weight on the new Explorer. Other weight-saving moves include an aluminum hood and a one-piece composite front bolster -- the radiator support between engine and grille -- that is 65 percent lighter.

David Phillips contributed to this report.

By Jamie LaReau- Automotive News