When it arrives here next year, the stylish new Ford Edge SUV will help Ford Motor Company target a fast growing SUV segment that has doubled in the past five years.

Ford has revealed for the first time the production version of the spacious and smart new Ford Edge large SUV that will go on sale in 2015, extending a line-up of SUVs in Europe that already includes the new Ford Kuga medium SUV and the new EcoSport small SUV.

According to Ford data, the SUV segment percentage of the total European passenger car market more than doubled to 21 per cent from 10 per cent between 2008 and 2013. In the first four months of 2014, the SUV share has further increased to 22.5 per cent, and Ford expects the segment in Europe to show further significant growth.

“Ford’s global SUVs – small, medium and large – are driving the company’s growth in key markets around the world,” said Barb Samardzich, chief operating officer, Ford of Europe. “We believe it is the right time to introduce a larger, more upscale SUV at the top of the Ford portfolio here in Europe.”

Ford’s all-new EcoSport SUV is in European dealerships now, with more than 16,000 orders so far this year.

“Over the next five years we plan to outpace the industry growth and more than triple our SUV sales here in Europe,” de Waard said. “More customers than ever before are buying Kuga, we have very high expectations for EcoSport, and when Edge joins them in our showrooms we’ll have a full family of utilities, all leaders in design, remarkable technology, smart features and real capability.”