Its official debut comes next week at the New York auto show, but this week the 2011 Ford Explorer was on an open carrier with nothing more than a car cover to protect it.

A gust of wind yanked the cover off this image during transit, and our shooters snapped a series of photos while the transport driver scrambled to retrieve it and hide his sensitive cargo.

As you know, the next-generation Explorer will desert the nameplate's traditional body-on-frame structure and employ unit-body construction. Additionally, it will share components with the Ford Taurus and Flex — meaning that Ford is likely to offer it in front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations.

There's proof of this after the jump, as the image is clearly front-wheel drive, with no evidence of a driveshaft or rear differential — just a differential carrier. Also notice the independent rear multilink suspension with coil springs, dampers outboard of the springs, and a stabilizer bar. Our technical director, Dan Edmunds, scrutinized the arrangement and found it nigh on same to our long-term Ford Flex's rear suspension.

Moreover, the profile shot reveals no axle nut for the rear, so there's no question that this 2011 Ford Explorer is front-wheel drive.

Beyond that, this Explorer image looks plenty long enough to accommodate a third-row seat, and as before, we expect Ford to offer both five- and seven-passenger configurations.

The new Explorer goes into production this start in Chicago on the same line as the Taurus and Lincoln MKS. We'll bring you more details next week.