Ford’s self-described “Model T moment” is here. The company just revealed a new low-cost, flexible vehicle architecture that it plans to use as an underpinning for a slew of new EVs, including a mid-size pickup truck. To build the platform, Ford introduced what it calls its Universal EV Production System, meant to simplify assembly and streamline costs.
Ford will introduce this new assembly system at its Louisville, Kentucky plant, where it currently builds the Escape and its sister car, the Lincoln Corsair. To make room, the company intends to end production of both of those vheicles.
“Production will stop for Escape and Corsair later this year when we start retooling the plant,” an official told media during a briefing. “We’re going to have enough inventory to sell Escape and Corsair well into 2026.”
It’s a bold move from the Blue Oval, considering the Escape was the second-best-selling SUV in the company’s portfolio last year. The Corsair is an equally important car for the brand, representing an entry point into the Lincoln brand, and bringing in about a quarter of Lincoln sales last year.
Ford did not elaborate on when or where the Escape or Corsair might re-enter production, saying only it’d “have more news to share on how we’re going to serve the small SUV market in the future.”
We don’t expect the Escape to stay dead for long. The small SUV segment represents a massive chunk of sales in the US, so Ford wiping two models from its lineup without replacements planned is unlikely. It’s possible that production could be shifted to another location—Ford previously built the Escape at assembly plants in Ohio and Missouri before shifting to Kentucky.
Should inventories of the Escape run dry before production can restart, dealers won’t have to worry much. Remember, Ford also sells the Bronco Sport, a similarly sized SUV based on the same platform. Whether production can keep up to satiate demand, though, we have yet to see.
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