Ford Escape sales decreased in the United States, Mexico, and Argentina during Q4 2020. The Escape also tallied 5,827 deliveries in Canada during the quarter.
- Note that the Escape is sold as the Kuga in various international markets.
Ford Escape Sales - Q4 2020 - United States
In the United States, Ford Escape deliveries totaled 46,743 units in Q4 2020, a decrease of about 2 percent compared to 47,587 units sold in Q4 2019.During the complete 2020 calendar year, Escape sales decreased about 26 percent to 178,496 units.
| MODEL | Q4 2020 / Q4 2019 | Q4 2020 | Q4 2019 | YTD 2020 / YTD 2019 | YTD 2020 | YTD 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESCAPE | -1.77% | 46,743 | 47,587 | -26.05% | 178,496 | 241,388 |
Ford Escape Sales - Q4 2020 - Canada
In Canada, Ford Escape deliveries totaled 5,827 units in Q4 2020.During the complete 2020 calendar year, Escape sales totaled 23,747 units.
| MODEL | Q4 2020 / Q4 2019 | Q4 2020 | Q4 2019 | YTD 2020 / YTD 2019 | YTD 2020 | YTD 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESCAPE | * | 5,827 | * | * | 23,747 | 0 |
Ford Escape Sales - Q4 2020 - Mexico
In Mexico, Ford Escape deliveries totaled 305 units in Q4 2020, a decrease of about 69 percent compared to 973 units sold in Q4 2019.During the complete 2020 calendar year, Escape sales decreased about 65 percent to 1,398 units.
| MODEL | Q4 2020 / Q4 2019 | Q4 2020 | Q4 2019 | YTD 2020 / YTD 2019 | YTD 2020 | YTD 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESCAPE | -68.65% | 305 | 973 | -64.51% | 1,398 | 3,939 |
Ford Escape Sales - Q4 2020 - Colombia
In Colombia, Ford Escape deliveries totaled 167 units in Q4 2020.During the complete 2020 calendar year, Escape sales were flat at 0 units.
| MODEL | Q4 2020 / Q4 2019 | Q4 2020 | Q4 2019 | YTD 2020 / YTD 2019 | YTD 2020 | YTD 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESCAPE | * | 167 | * | * | 0 | 0 |
Ford Kuga Sales - Q4 2020 - Argentina
In Argentina, Ford Kuga deliveries totaled 36 units in Q4 2020, a decrease of about 50 percent compared to 72 units sold in Q4 2019.During the complete 2020 calendar year, Kuga sales decreased about 17 percent to 279 units.
| MODEL | Q4 2020 / Q4 2019 | Q4 2020 | Q4 2019 | YTD 2020 / YTD 2019 | YTD 2020 | YTD 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KUGA | -50.00% | 36 | 72 | -16.72% | 279 | 335 |
Competitive Sales Comparison (USA)
Despite the decrease in sales volume, Ford Escape sales during Q4 2020 moved the compact crossover up one spot to fifth in its segment in the United States. The model was outsold by the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Equinox (see running Chevy Equinox sales), and the Nissan Rogue (comprised of two models – the regular Rogue and Rogue Sport). The Escape outsold the Subaru Forester, Subaru Crosstrek, Mazda CX-5 (see running Mazda CX-5 sales), Jeep Cherokee, Hyundai Tucson, GMC Terrain (see running GMC Terrain sales), Volkswagen Tiguan (see running VW Tiguan sales), Kia Sportage, as well as the Dodge Journey, Mitsubishi Outlander, and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.
Sales Numbers - Mainstream Compact Crossovers - Q4 2020 - United States
| MODEL | Q4 20 / Q4 19 | Q4 20 | Q4 19 | Q4 20 SHARE | Q4 19 SHARE | YTD 20 / YTD 19 | YTD 20 | YTD 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOYOTA RAV4 | +3.54% | 127,813 | 123,446 | 18% | 17% | -3.95% | 430,387 | 448,071 |
| HONDA CR-V | -7.02% | 96,168 | 103,429 | 14% | 14% | -13.19% | 333,502 | 384,168 |
| CHEVROLET EQUINOX | -13.93% | 79,267 | 92,092 | 11% | 12% | -21.69% | 270,994 | 346,048 |
| NISSAN ROGUE | -22.54% | 60,534 | 78,147 | 9% | 11% | -34.96% | 227,935 | 350,447 |
| FORD ESCAPE | -1.77% | 46,743 | 47,587 | 7% | 6% | -26.05% | 178,496 | 241,388 |
| SUBARU FORESTER | -11.94% | 42,914 | 48,732 | 6% | 7% | -1.77% | 176,996 | 180,179 |
| SUBARU CROSSTREK | +31.04% | 42,792 | 32,655 | 6% | 4% | -8.72% | 119,716 | 131,152 |
| MAZDA CX-5 | +3.18% | 42,143 | 40,843 | 6% | 5% | -5.26% | 146,420 | 154,545 |
| JEEP CHEROKEE | -9.78% | 37,936 | 42,048 | 5% | 6% | -29.02% | 135,855 | 191,397 |
| HYUNDAI TUCSON | -5.80% | 32,518 | 34,520 | 5% | 5% | -9.99% | 123,657 | 137,381 |
| GMC TERRAIN | -9.21% | 25,476 | 28,060 | 4% | 4% | -15.23% | 86,020 | 101,470 |
| VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN | +1.85% | 25,124 | 24,667 | 4% | 3% | -8.44% | 100,687 | 109,963 |
| KIA SPORTAGE | -9.23% | 21,943 | 24,174 | 3% | 3% | -5.53% | 84,343 | 89,278 |
| DODGE JOURNEY | -21.95% | 9,592 | 12,290 | 1% | 2% | -45.98% | 40,342 | 74,686 |
| MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER | -51.09% | 3,665 | 7,494 | 1% | 1% | -28.53% | 27,132 | 37,965 |
| MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE CROSS | -59.39% | 1,544 | 3,802 | 0% | 1% | -47.52% | 10,319 | 19,661 |
| TOTAL | -6.43% | 696,172 | 743,986 | -16.85% | 2,492,801 | 2,997,799 |
The Ford Escape was not alone in experiencing a drop in sales, as 11 other models posted even higher declines. For instance, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross deliveries slipped 59 percent, Mitsubishi Outlander experienced a decline of 51 percent, Nissan Rogue sales fell 23 percent, and the Dodge Journey saw a 22 percent decline. The Escape’s top rival – the Toyota RAV4 – posted an increase this quarter of nearly 4 percent, outperforming the Ford offering. Notably, only four models saw sales grow this quarter – the Toyota RAV4, Subaru Crosstrek, Mazda CX-5 and the Volkswagen Tiguan. At 31 percent, the Crosstrek posted the highest increase in sales volume in the segment.
The Q4 2020 sales performance gives the Escape a segment share of 7 percent, significantly lower than the 18 percent commanded by the RAV4, 14 percent for the Honda CR-V and 11 percent for the Chevy Equinox.
The compact mainstream crossover segment contracted 6.43 percent to 696,172 units in Q4 2020, meaning Ford Escape sales fell at a slower pace than the segment average during the quarter. The contraction in segment volume is directly attributable to supply- and demand-level issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ford Authority Take
The decline in Ford Escape sales during Q4 2020 is rather disheartening, given that the Escape is one of the newest products in the segment. Even so, Ford’s all-new compact CUV was able to move up to fifth place out of 16 competitors in its segment. The dip in sales during the fourth quarter isn’t unexpected considering the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it’s also worth noting that the Escape saw the slowest drop in sales compared to its rivals and the segment average.
That said, Escape’s Q4 2020 sales performance represents the ninth consecutive quarterly decline for Escape sales, with the model seeing drops in volume for Q3 2020, Q2 2020, Q1 2020, Q4 2019, Q3 2019, Q2 2019, Q1 2019, and Q4 2018.
We posit that Escape sales suffered in Q4 as a result of the following events:
- Reduced demand as a result of COVID-19 factors.
- A pause in production at all other FoMoCo facilities in North America and beyond, including the Ford Louisville Assembly Plant that produces the Escape for North America, causing a reduction in supply.
- Increased intensity in competition in the mainstream compact crossover space.
COVID-19 impact notwithstanding, the fact that Escape sales continue to decline is worrisome, since the nameplate was all-new for the 2020 model year. FoMoCo completed the generational changeover from the last-gen Escape during the final quarter of 2019, so availability- and inventory- related issues strictly associated with the launch of an all-new model did not play a role in Q4 2020 sales performance.
About The Numbers
- All percent change figures compared to Ford Escape sales for Q4 2019, unless noted otherwise
- There were 79 selling days in Q4 2020 and 78 selling days in Q4 2019
- Ford Motor Company sales Q4 2020 U.S.A
- Ford Motor Company sales October 2020 U.S.A.
- Ford sales October 2020 U.S.A.
- Lincoln sales October 2020 U.S.A.
- Ford Motor Company sales November 2020 U.S.A.
- Ford sales November 2020 U.S.A.
- Lincoln sales November 2020 U.S.A.
- Ford Motor Company sales December 2020 U.S.A.
- Ford sales December 2020 U.S.A.
- Lincoln sales December 2020 U.S.A.
- Ford Motor Company sales October 2020 U.S.A.
- Ford China sales Q4 2020
- Ford Motor Company Canada sales Q4 2020
- Ford Canada sales Q4 2020
- Lincoln Canada sales Q4 2020
- Ford Motor Company Argentina sales Q4 2020
- Ford Argentina sales October 2020 (Ford brand)
- Ford Argentina sales November 2020 (Ford brand)
- Ford Argentina sales December 2020 (Ford brand)
- Ford Motor Company Brazil sales Q4 2020
- Ford Brazil sales October 2020 (Ford brand)
- Ford Brazil sales November 2020 (Ford brand)
- Ford Brazil sales December 2020 (Ford brand)
- Ford Motor Company Korea sales Q4 2020
- Ford Motor Company Korea sales October 2020
- Ford Korea sales October 2020
- Lincoln Korea sales October 2020
- Ford Motor Company Korea sales November 2020
- Ford Korea sales November 2020
- Lincoln Korea sales November 2020
- Ford Motor Company Korea sales December 2020
- Ford Korea sales December 2020
- Lincoln Korea sales December 2020
- Ford Motor Company Korea sales October 2020
- Ford Motor Company Mexico sales Q4 2020
- Ford Motor Company Mexico sales October 2020
- Ford Mexico sales October 2020
- Lincoln Mexico sales October 2020
- Ford Motor Company Mexico sales November 2020
- Ford Mexico sales November 2020
- Lincoln Mexico sales November 2020
- Ford Motor Company Mexico sales December 2020
- Ford Mexico sales December 2020
- Lincoln Mexico sales December 2020
- Ford Motor Company Mexico sales October 2020
- Ford Russia sales Q4 2020
- Ford Russia sales October 2020
- Ford Russia sales November 2020
- Ford Russia sales December 2020
Comments
It is only with intelligence and planning Ford discontinued the Fusion. Ford is becoming irrelevant. They not only can’t compete in the car segment, but they sell less SUVs and crossovers.
The best selling vehicle 40+ years running and the best selling SUV in history beg to differ.
This is very worrisome, they staked all they had on SUVs and Crossovers and those aren’t performing well. They need someone running the company that knows what they are doing. For starters QUALITY. Ford needs to ditch their reputation for not having quality products. To start get someone in there who knows how to design an interior. The Escape looks fine from the outside but the interior is junk. Basic, budget rental car design. For crying out loud the air vents aren’t even the same size, not because of a design choice , but because they were to lazy to put a trim piece on the driver side vent. The Explorers interior isn’t much better. Speaking of quality they need to take more time to develop these vehicles rather then rushing them to market and issuing several recalls. The Bronco Sport has been on the market for a few months and already has had three recalls. Not to mention they are supposedly discontinuing edge which is at the top of its segment.
The front end on the Escape is the problem. It’s whimpy. Other than that it looks good. Two other turn offs is the 3 cylinder engine on lower trims and no ventilated seats on the Titanium trim. For a Titanium that should be standard and you shouldn’t have to get to Titanium for ambient lighting. That should be available on the SEL trim as well.
Yes, yes, yes! The front end of the Escape is awful! Where is the emergency face lift? All other Ford SUV’s have nice looking front ends, how did they screw up so badly on the Escape?
totally agree! when i went with my wife to get her ecosport they had one in the showroom. sales lady asked how i liked it. told her right out as long as you don’t have to walk in front of it then it’s ok. that front end is big miss! kind of looks like a damn KIA.
Ford now has 2 entries into this segment, with the Escape design being made softer to make some room for the Bronco Sport to differentiate. So I think it’s logical that the Escape sales would slide somewhat, with the Bronco Sport hoping to take that volume and more. Once the Bronco Sport gets up to full speed on sales it will be interesting to see the combined volume of both vehicles to really see how the dual product strategy pays off. I think it will prove to be a good move but we will see.
I think the basic problem is the vehicle is not particularly good looking, especially the front end. The next problem is the interior, the quality is just not up to standard. The interior is where we spend all the time driving, so it should look and feel special with a quality that leaves one feeling satisfied. Ford have a problem, the accountants think it is ok to use cheap plastic to save a few bucks, but it does nothing for the reputation of the brand. This is a problem both in Europe and the US and it is easily solvable. The company just needs to listen and listen well. WE WANT BETTER QUALITY INTERIORS THAT LOOK AND FEEL SPECIAL. I looked at the Explorer in Europe, expensive and competes in BMW territory, but it is totally let down by its interior. I really hope Ford are listening.
Like others have said. The exterior styling and poor interior material use and design are what are dropping escape sales. Bronco Sport is knocking it out of the park. Why? because it’s unique. The escape is beyond bland. Really Ford should just drop the escape and invest in the Bronco Sport.
In my opinion a huge factor is the styling versus the competition. This car looks old and boring especially fro the front, the rear end is nice but the soft wavy front just looks dated and I think worse than the outgoing version it replaced.
Even my grandma thinks the Escape looks boring… come on Ford…pick a demographic that actually buys the vehicles
Totally agree with the above comments. That front end is gormless and the interior – mediocre at best. It’s a double disappointment for me as I have a 2012 Focus that I bought for styling, then they cancelled it here. I’m an easy sell for the Focus Active made in Germany or if they fix the Escape but they’re leadership seems incapable of grasping this and completely fixated on trucks.
The first Ford escapes we’re actually pretty decent, I have a 2005, and I actually thought about getting a new escape but then I started hearing about the problems with the EcoBoost in leaking inside the heads and then they switched the engine out the original engines had a really nice v6 in it. And there are Ford escape groups out there of enthusiasts the Ford really kind of screwed the pooch when they left the original design in the earlier models and I have seen some early models of the Ford escape run for half a million miles and I think that’s the reason why they started changing things, for the worst! And that’s because they domesticated it and have you ever find a early model gen 1 of the Ford escape, by it!
This article fails to point out the actual issues related to the Escape:
1- price has become uncompetitive for what you get.
2- interior quality is disgusting, the 2018 Escape beats it easily with nice plastics and soft touches everywhere. The new interior belongs in a $18k vehicle – which is what it was designed for aka Focus.
3- 3cyl engine is horrible – vibrations vibrations vibrations everywhere…if you deny it, go take a Mazda CX-5 or a RAV4 for a spin.
4- design looks cheap and was not well received by the general buying public. Escape owners are buying RAV4s now – which is a bad sign for Ford.
These are in fact the issues with the Escape. The only way to fix them is an emergency redesign for 2022 – if Ford doesn’t deliver, we will see the Escape continue its decline till it doesn’t matter anymore (you bet Escape owners will instead buy a Bronco Sport)
Your item 1, 2, and 4 are summed up by item #3 in The Ford Authority Take:
3. Increased intensity in competition in the mainstream compact crossover space.
Three Cyl. ! Are you kidding me . That in itself is a turn OFF. It sounds like a singer sewing machine . I had a snowmobile with 3 cyl. for gosh sakes. Ford , wake up b-4 its too late .
I was under the impression that dealers could not get stock in a timely fashion and custom ordering all but stopped. My local FORD stores looked empty of product across all models much of the time. If true, the sales numbers would be depressed. AS for the comments, what you like and why is somewhat subjective, that said, FORD pricing can be shocking and build quality can be hit and miss across all models. The ongoing FOCUS transmission fiasco severely dampened my confidence in the brand. Goofy but true, you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression!
My local dealer still has 25 2020 units and 35 2021s….feel free to come by and pick one up, they have $8k off the 2020 and still can’t move them.
Yes. Word is getting out about the lower trim level Escape 3 cylinder engine. Buyer beware. Many bought one thinking it was a 4 because it always had a 4. That’s why sales are down. Good luck trying to find a 4 cylinder on the lot. An Escape Titanium trim level production run was shut down because of COVID and Chip shortage.
Sit in a CR-V then sit in an Escape. The new Escape and Explorer are awful inside. I call them Jim Hacket Fords and I don’t want one. Apparently no one else does either.
My wife bought the 2020 SEL, The interior is very cheap. I would expect someone like Kia, Mitsubishi or Suzuki to have cheap Interiors but not FORD. The 3cyl is the biggest turn of. Vibration and humming noises Another Huge mistake made by Ford…..surfacing is all of the ECOBOOST Engine problems, overheating, oil consumption, turbo’s failing, etc.
So unlike most (or all) commenters, I just bought a compact CUV in Q1 of 2021. From the start, I knew I wanted a hybrid. My choices were few: Toyota Rav4, Honda CR-V or Ford Escape. I wanted to like the Ford. I really did. I’ve driven the previous generation’s 2.0 EcoBoost Titanium at work and it was fun, capable and handsome. It did well in the snow too, with a decent clearance and approach/departure angles. So I wanted to go there. However… I bought the Toyota. The Ford’s exterior styling is just too… roundish? It’s waaay too low to the ground, the interior is cheapish, the trunk space is lacking and the hybrid system is just slow. I paid a bit more for the Toyota, but no regrets at all. I got a lot more for it. I feel like Ford just doesn’t care about itself anymore, like they’ve given up.
I think you’re full of it. The Escape plug in hybrid is not yet in production due to battery problems that needed to be fixed. So how did you test drive one? You didn’t. Liar.
People are holding out for the plugin hybrid.
This is all still from 2020 smh. 2021 sales are down 14% year over year but retail sales were up 50% in March vs. February.
Like others have said once the PHEV is available that will help sales and there should be a refresh in 2022 / 2023 to address the front end issues.