There is a group of buyers that actually need the combination of towing capability and space that only a full-sized, truck-based SUV can provide.

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When properly equipped, a truck-based SUV delivers unmatched off-road prowess and can easily plow its way out of the deepest snowdrifts or mud ruts.

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Then, in 1998, Lincoln debuted the Navigator, a full-size SUV based on the Ford Expedition.

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Ford long ago decided to reduce production of its top-selling Explorer SUV in anticipation that its customers might switch to its new car-based so-called crossover SUV, the Ford Freestyle.

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Mr Schreiber's suggestion that Volkswagen Group's plant in Bratislava might get the new Bentley is based on its proven ability to produce SUV models for other marques within the group, such as the Audi's Q7 and the Volkswagen Touareg.

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The catalysts were the new Verano, a compact based on the Chevrolet Cruze, and the Enclave, a big crossover SUV, that got a facelift last year.

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