Ford Explorer

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Ford has revealed the all-new 2020 Explorer, ahead of a North American on-sale date in mid-2019. The Blue Oval says the three-row SUV has been "redesigned from the ground up", underpinned by a new rear-wheel drive architecture shared with the recently-revealed Lincoln Aviator.

Ford has announced it will be dropping the Explorer from numerous low-selling markets in a bid to maximise its profits, ahead of the new-generation model's launch in the second half of next year. Speaking with industry journal Automotive News, Joe Hinrichs, Ford's president of global operations, said: "The cost of doing business there wasn't worth the trip for less than 100 vehicles".

The US police car market has opened up following the retirement of the long-serving Ford Crown Victoria, and SUVs are muscling in. Until production ended in 2011, the Ford Crown Victoria – a V8-powered, rear-wheel drive, body-on-frame sedan – was the leading choice for police units in the market for a law enforcement vehicle. This was despite it being on sale since 1983. Since its demise, though, several options have been developed for police by the three major US carmakers.

German safety pioneer Mercedes-Benz will start fitting inflatable rear passenger seatbelts to its vehicles, in a move that will make the brand the third automaker to employ the safety technology behind Lexus and Ford. Mercedes says the 'Beltbag' is due to go into production in a luxury-class model, set to be the next-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class as CarAdvice reported last month.