Ford’s long-term plans reportedly don’t include some of the models consumers have grown used to. A new report says three well-known nameplates will be exiting the market by 2025. We wouldn’t be surprised to see a few of the names reappear on electric successors.
Industry publication Automotive News reports that Ford “is finding the electric transition to be harder than previously expected.” But leaders aren’t giving up on its strategy, which involves splitting the company into two separate divisions.
One – Ford Model e – is dedicated to taking the company’s lineup electric. The other – Ford Blue – continues to develop gas-powered cars but is increasingly focused on fewer separate models and more special editions of the company’s signature products, like the Mustang sports car and F-150 pickup.
That leaves less room for products without distinctive identities. Three, AN reports, are on the chopping block. We’ve reached out to Ford for confirmation and will update this story if we hear back. But there’s solid logic behind all three decisions, so we don’t doubt the report.
You’ve Lost Your Edge
That includes the Edge – a midsize SUV known for family-friendly proportions and a smooth on-road ride. Ford also has the off-road-focused Bronco and the 3-row Explorer, with its much longer reputation, to offer midsize SUV shoppers. So, AN reports, “The Edge will be discontinued next year as Ford prepares to convert the Oakville Assembly plant where it is built to an EV facility.”
Ford luxury division Lincoln recently unveiled a dramatically revamped version of its Nautilus SUV, which is essentially a dressy Edge. It could continue. Ford builds the Nautilus in China.
You Have No Escape
Also on the way out, AN says, is the Ford Escape small SUV. Ford builds the Escape in conventional, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid versions. But they lack a distinct identity in a crowded market space, competing with the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. Ford also sells another small SUV, the Bronco Sport, which has a more unique identity as an off-roader.
So, AN reports, “Ford has no plans for a next-generation gasoline or hybrid model. Production is expected to end in 2025 before an electric crossover replaces it.”
Lincoln builds an equivalent – the Corsair – but it also could be imported from a Chinese factory.
We Have No Joke About the Transit Connect
Ford will also put an end to the Transit Connect small van after this year, AN says – a move that has been rumored since late last year. Ford doesn’t have a product that overlaps with it. But slow demand has essentially killed the small van in America.
