Ford has offered the first official teaser of the 2012 Ford Explorer. In the single teaser photo we get to see Jim Holland, the chief engineer in charge of the Ford Explorer project, sitting on the hood of what is supposed to be the new Ford Explorer. Unfortunately, the photo does not show much so we can not have an opinion regarding styling at this moment. We will have to wait for further teaser shots or even spy photos so we can make an opinion of our own.

The new Ford Explorer should share platform with the Ford Flex. This is quite weird as the Ford Explorer is, well, an SUV while the Ford Flex is a crossover (sort of). The new Ford Explorer should get its power from a range of four and six cylinders EcoBoost engines and should make its world debut this year, although this information was not confirmed by the North American automaker.

The Ford Explorer has been on the market since 1991 and it is currently at its fourth generation. The car you see in the teaser below will be the fifth generation of the Ford Explorer. The Ford Explorer was a very popular car back in the period 1999-2004. In 2000, for example, there were almost 450.000 Ford Explorer models sold only in the United States. After that, sales fell dramatically, reaching only 52.000 units of the Ford Explorer sold in the United States last year.

It is important to mention that the car in the photo in the left is a 2007 Ford Explorer, not the upcoming model.