Blue Oval’s rival for Australia’s top-selling SUV could be replaced by all-new Explorer EV
The Ford Escape will be killed off in Australia by the end of this year as part of a brand rethink for the Blue Oval – which could lead to an all-EV replacement.
Ford cites changing market dynamics and an increased focus on electrified models as reasons for axing the Escape nameplate, which failed to make an impact in Australia’s single biggest new-vehicle sales segment.
Ford Escape sales were up 30 per cent in 2022, but the mid-size SUV still proved less popular than mid-size SUV heavyweights such as the Toyota RAV4 (Australia’s top-selling SUV), Mazda CX-5, Mitsubishi Outlander, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, MG HS, Subaru Forester, Honda CR-V, Nissan X-TRAIL, Volkswagen Tiguan and Haval H6.
In fact, in its class, last year the Escape outsold only the Citroen C5 Aircross, Cupra Formentor, Jeep Cherokee, Peugeot 3008 and 5008, Skoda Koroq and SsangYong Korando.
Ford Australia president and CEO Andrew Birkic said the Escape will be axed within months – including the plug-in hybrid variant that arrived in local showrooms little more than 12 months ago as the brand’s first electrified model following several delays.
“The Escape nameplate will be leaving Australia by the end of the year,” he said. “That’s the PHEV and also the ICE.
“As part of running our business, we sometimes need to make difficult decisions on vehicles that will leave our line-up so we can continue to focus on areas of strength.
“With this in mind, we have decided that Escape will depart our Australian line-up by the end of this year.
“We have not taken this decision lightly, and we recognise and thank the many loyal customers who have chosen Escape over the years.”
It’s the latest in a long line of once-popular Ford nameplates to be retired locally, including Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo, Laser, Falcon and Territory.
Birkic said “we don’t make the nameplate and those brand decisions lightly” and confirmed the move was influenced by various business parameters around setting the company up for the future – one that will more closely focus on electric vehicles.
“We look at a range of factors – commercial, supply, future cycle plan, you name it – and we come to a conclusion. We have to make a business decision. Where are we going to put our chips? We’ve made a decision that’s not Escape.”
The Ford Escape first arrived in Australia in 2002 before being temporarily rebadged as the Kuga between 2012 and 2016.
Despite flashes of success it’s never been a major player in a market segment that has been growing for decades. The category attracts a diverse array of brands, from traditional mainstream players and aspirational newcomers to sporty European marques and EV aspirants such as the Tesla Model Y, Kia EV6 and Hyundai IONIQ 5.
Ford isn’t saying whether there will be a replacement for the Escape.
However, there will soon be a logical contender from Europe in the form of the born-again Ford Explorer, an all-new all-electric mid-size SUV released less than a month ago.
The new Explorer EV is related only in name to the larger Explorer sold in the US and Europe, and is designed to compete in the heartland of the global EV market dominated by the popular Tesla Model Y.
To be built on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB EV architecture – which also underpins the VW ID.3, ID.4, ID.5 and ID. Buzz, as well as Cupra Born and Skoda Enyaq – the Explorer EV will be manufactured in right-hand drive for markets including the UK at Ford’s Cologne factory in Germany.
Leveraging the battery-powered Explorer to in some way replace the Escape makes sense given Ford’s global commitment to EVs. The F-150 Lightning pick-up is selling strongly in the US and Ford of Europe has committed to a wholly EV line-up by 2030. Ford will also launch three new electric SUVs and five new electric commercial vehicles in Europe by 2024.
Separately, in addition to the upcoming E-Transit and Mustang Mach-E this year, and the E-Transit Custom next year, Ford Australia confirmed the Puma EV for Australian release next year as part of its promise to have five electrified EVs on sale by the end of 2024.
Birkic reinforced Ford’s local commitment to the fast-growing EV space, saying “it’s the future, and we’re all in”. He also pointed to the evolution of the mid-size SUV segment, in which the prices of many entrants have grown significantly.
“Fifteen, 20 years ago, that segment where Escape plays – in terms of its price point and bandwidth – is very different than where it is today,” he said.
And a few months ago Ford’s global CEO Jim Farley said the company was “not going to be playing in the two-row commodity crossover market because… it didn’t really work out for us”.
All of which suggests the Explorer EV would make lots of sense Down Under.
Join the conversation at our Facebook page Or email us at [email protected]
Keyword: Ford Escape to be axed