The Ford Escape Will Die Next Year So A $30k Mid-Size Pickup Can Be Born originally appeared on Autoblog.
Ford Escape And Lincoln Corsair Can't Sell Well Enough To Survive
Ford's Q2 sales figures have been nothing to sniff at, even outpacing industry growth. One of its strongest sellers is the Ford Escape, which was the Blue Oval's second-best-selling SUV last year, but even so, it and its Corsair corporate cousin (which accounted for around a quarter of Lincoln's sales in 2024) will end production later this year to make way for new EVs, including a mid-size pickup on the Universal EV Platform that promises to be part of Ford's modern "Model T" moment.
"Production will stop for Escape and Corsair later this year when we start retolling the [Louisville, Kentucky] plant," an official told media at a briefing, reports Motor1. "We're going to have enough inventory to sell Escape and Corsair well into 2026."
Could The Escape Become An EV?
Ford isn't necessarily done with the Escape and Corsair, saying that it would "have more news to share on how we're going to serve the small SUV market in the future," potentially indicating the evaluation of an all-electric replacement or a new production site. The imminent discontinuation of the Escape will mark the end of Ford's only plug-in hybrid, but it's worth remembering that the Bronco Sport is built on the same platform, so it's quite possible that this could become a PHEV instead. Another possibility is that, before inventory gets to critical levels, Ford could restart production of the Escape and Corsair at other facilities; the Escape was previously produced in Ohio and Missouri before moving to Kentucky.
Mid-Size Pickup Coming 2027
Ford recently applied to trademark the Ranchero name, but it has not confirmed what the mid-size pickup will be called, only that it is expected to launch in 2027 with prismatic lithium-ion phosphate batteries serving as its structural sub-assembly and floor. The Blue Oval boasts that the new battery will save space, weight, and cost, and that no cobalt or nickel is used in its makeup. A new architecture with some 4,000 feet less length in the wiring harness is claimed to reduce components by 20 percent, fasteners by 25 percent, and workstations by 40 percent compared to a comparable traditional vehicle. Ford hopes that these efforts will allow the truck to be roduced up to 40 percent faster than the vehicles currently produced at the Louisville plant, and if the four-door pickup keeps is promises of a high-four-second sprint from 0-60 mph, more passenger space than a Toyota RAV4, and a starting price of roughly $30,000, it'll need to churn these out very quickly to meet demand.
Related: Ford Bronco Celebrates 60 Years With A Rugged Retro Makeover
The Ford Escape Will Die Next Year So A $30k Mid-Size Pickup Can Be Born first appeared on Autoblog on Aug 11, 2025
This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Aug 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
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