After months of hype and teasers, the new Ford Explorer is being revealed tonight at 12:01 a.m. ET right here on Drive On -- and we couldn't be more relieved.  Ford avoided showing the car at any of the major auto shows, a strange move considering its nameplate would have made it one of the stars -- and is banking that a dearth of auto news will help propel it to the top of the headlines. It strategy may work -- if all the families that Ford is trying to reach aren't already on vacation and not paying attention to the news.  Ford has kept a steady stream of news capsules going about the Explorer, including teaser photos like the one at right. The drumbeat hit its peak this month when Ford issued a press release that implied that the Explorer will basically save the U.S. economy.  The 2011 Ford Explorer – "designed and built in the United States" – will have a "far reaching impact on the U.S. economy through jobs and exports."  We learned that the Explorer will add more than 600 new jobs among Ford's parts suppliers in addition to the 1,200 Ford positions being added. It also will be exported to more than 90 countries will it goes into production, although we'll be surprised if all of them combined amount to more sales than those in a single U.S. state.  This, at least, is impressive: Ford is sinking $400 million in its Chicago Assembly Plant where the Explorer will be produced, right in President Obama's home town.  So is the hype over? Nope. Drive On will be reporting tomorrow from funky Venice Beach in Los Angeles where Ford's President of the Americas Mark Fields is flying in to do the West Coast reveal.  To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor  . For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to  . Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to
Ford reveals new Explorer here tonight - Drive On: A conversation about the cars and trucks we drive - USATODAY.com