This week, Ford unveiled the Explorer, a compact electric crossover designed specifically for the European market, based on Volkswagen's modular MEB platform, and next year it will have a sporting relative, rumored to be given the legendary name Capri.
The Capri name was previously worn by several Ford models, but today it is associated mainly with a sports coupe that was produced between 1968 and 1986 and became one of the most massive in its genre — the total circulation of the Ford Capri was about 1.9 million copies. Capri is known mainly in Europe, although the cars of the first two series were also sold in the USA. In addition to the original coupe body, the car was also offered as a more practical three-door liftback with a large tailgate integrated with the rear window.
Ford Capri of various years of manufacture 1/5 Ford Capri of various years of manufacture 2/5 Ford Capri of various years of manufacture 3/5 Ford Capri different years 4/5 Ford Capri different years 5/5
The Capri has become well-known and popular due to its rather eye-catching design, affordable price and tumultuous career in motorsport. It is not surprising that Ford has repeatedly tried to bring the Capri name back to the European market, because Capri is loved and remembered here. At the end of the decade before last, there were rumors that the Capri would return in the form of a new coupe, but in the end, Ford introduced the Evos concept coupe sedan in 2011, which a decade later turned into a coupe-shaped crossover for the Chinese market.
The second wave of rumors about the revival of Capri arose in 2019 — supposedly Ford is again thinking about what to fasten the stale name to, but so far it is still in the archive. Now we have fresh data from insiders at our disposal, indicating that the name Capri will receive a sports coupe-shaped crossover, announced by Ford of Europe exactly a year ago.
The good news about the imminent return of the Capri was brought by the British magazine Autocar, which rarely makes mistakes in its forecasts — in this case, however, it refers to the much less authoritative tabloid The Sun, but the information about the new Capri was veiledly confirmed by Ford of Europe chief designer Amco Linarts, who gave a long interview to Autocar, says that Ford is now willingly meeting the wishes of customers and bringing back legendary names, but at the same time, Linarts honestly says that you should not expect retro design and a literal repetition of the concepts of the past.
In short, everything points to the fact that in 2024 the Ford Capri coupe-shaped electric crossover on the Volkswagen MEB platform will enter the European market (Ford and VW, we recall, entered into an alliance in 2020), it will be produced in the same place where the European electric Explorer, — at the main modernized European Ford plant in Cologne, Germany. In terms of technology, the Capri will probably not differ much from the Explorer, whose most powerful twin-engine power plant produces 250 kW (340 hp), but the Capri will certainly have a sportier driving setting and a host of design features.
The electric Ford Capri will be positioned one step below the Mustang Mach-E crossover and will be noticeably more affordable: if the Mustang Mach-E now costs in Germany from 62,900 euros, then the Capri will come close in price to the related Explorer, which is in the base and at the same time a fairly rich configuration will cost less than 45,000 euros.
It is curious that by 2025 the new Ford Capri will have a direct competitor from Opel — the Manta electric crossover, before this name also belonged to a sports coupe.