A European specification Ford Edge is to be revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week.

Ford expects to sell 200,000 SUVs in Europe in 2016 – a 200% increase on 2013 – and the Edge will be sold alongside the Kuga medium-sized SUV and EcoSport compact SUV to meet the growing demand in Europe.

Roelant de Waard, vice president, marketing, sales and service at Ford of Europe, said:

“Consumer appetites for SUV and all-wheel drive vehicles like our new Edge are so strong that we plan to introduce five new vehicles in the next three years that will compete in the SUV and crossover space.”

“Spacious, refined and with athletic design, the all-new Ford Edge also delivers strong fuel efficiency and low CO2 supported by our most advanced diesel engines, auto-start-stop and intelligent all-wheel drive technology.

The large SUV will be offered in Europe with a choice of 180PS 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engine with six-speed manual transmission, or 210 PS bi-turbo 2.0‑litre TDCi diesel with six-speed PowerShift automatic transmission.

Both engines will deliver up to 78.4mpg fuel efficiency and 149g/km CO2 supported by auto-start-stop technology.

The Edge also will feature Ford’s intelligent all-wheel drive (AWD) technology as standard, delivering a transition between front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive performance designed to provide a more secure footing on the road especially in slippery conditions.

Measuring how the car’s wheels are gripping the road surface every 16 milliseconds – twenty times quicker than it takes to blink – the system can send up to 100% of engine torque to the front or rear wheels.

By only delivering torque where and when it is needed, intelligent AWD has minimal impact on fuel-efficiency and CO2 emissions compared with permanent four-wheel drive systems.

Ford technologies available include adaptive steering, which automatically optimises the steering response according to vehicle speed, making it easy to manoeuvre at low speeds, while remaining precise and intuitive at higher speeds; and front split view camera, which makes restricted visibility junctions or parking spaces easier to negotiate.