- Ford is launching a new series of inexpensive electric cars
- To build them, it needs to stop making the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair
Ford made a big splash this week, announcing plans for a new lineup of low-cost electric vehicles (EVs). The company will start with a midsize pickup and plans 2- and 3-row SUVs on the same new architecture. The platform will use lower-cost batteries and be assembled with a new modular process that should cost less to build and produce a smoother ride.
Ford will build the models entirely in the U.S., with batteries made in Michigan and vehicles assembled at its Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky.
To start the project, though, Ford will need to stop everything else that the plant is doing. That means canceling two vehicles built there.
During the presentation, a Ford executive confirmed to the media that the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair compact SUVs will die so the 21st-century Model T project can live.
“Production will stop for Escape and Corsair later this year when we start retooling the plant,” the official said.
Still Easy to Find in 44 States
- Dealers have a plentiful supply of both SUVs
- They’re no longer sold in six states due to emissions laws
Both vehicles are still fairly common on dealer lots today. He continued, “We’re going to have enough inventory to sell Escape and Corsair well into 2026.”
The move is hardly a surprise. Ford had already stopped selling both models in California, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Oregon, and Washington because they didn’t meet strict emissions requirements there.
Ford also has another compact SUV on sales lots. The company assembles its Bronco Sport small sport utility at a different plant in Mexico. However, the move leaves Lincoln dealers without a model priced below the Nautilus, which starts at $55,535.
