Ford have officially announced overnight that the Kuga compact SUV will join their model range in 2008. We can expect to see the new Kuga in the metal at this years Frankfurt Motor Show in September but until then the single image that you see below is all we get.

The new Kuga is believed to utilise Focus componentry and will be built at Ford’s Saarlouis plant in Europe. There is little known about the Kuga at this stage apart from the ‘kinetic-design’ styling we can see in the sketch.

“With the launch of the Ford Kuga, we will keep the promise that we gave at the Paris Motor Show 2006: to develop a stylish new model based on the stunning Ford iosis X concept car in less than two years,” said John Fleming, President and CEO, Ford of Europe.

Ford certainly appears to be on a role with stunning new models such as the Mondeo and the upcoming revised Focus. The Kuga will add to this already impressive range in Europe and no doubt prove to be a popular compact SUV purchase.

“Kuga will stand out from the crowd by offering the visual excitement of ‘kinetic design’ and the on-road driving quality that customers of cars like the Ford Focus, the S-MAX and the new Mondeo have come to expect from us,” said Martin Smith, Executive Design Director for Ford of Europe.

If the Kuga does become available in Australia it will be pitched at the likes of Toyota’s RAV 4, Subaru’s Forester, Nissan’s X-Trail and Honda’s CRV. If the driving experience is a good one then we think the Kuga will have them all looking a bit tired and boring.

Engine options are expected to include those available in the Focus range which means a possible choice of 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrol, 1.8 and 2.0-litre diesel as well as the 2.5-litre turbo five cylinder found in the XR5.

Lets hope that Ford’s plans for their new Kuga include Australia. We suspect it would put a smile on the faces of a few stressed Aussie Ford dealers who are already waiting impatiently for 2008.

Sources : GoAuto and Ford