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Ford Escape, Lincoln Corsair Plant’s Future Is Uncertain

With the debut of the refreshed 2023 Lincoln Corsair taking place back in September – which was followed by the reveal of the also-refreshed 2023 Ford Escape late last month – it would seem as if the Louisville Assembly plant in Kentucky, where both crossovers are built, would be fairly secure, at least in the short term. Ford CEO Jim Farley even gave the plant a “shout out” recently, praising the employees that work there a couple of years after the automaker invested $550 million in the plant. However, Farley also recently hinted that the Escape may be facing cancellation at some point in the future, and now, Automotive News is reporting that the Louisville plant itself is staring at an uncertain future as well.

The Blue Oval reportedly has no plans to produce a next-generation version of the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair, and doesn’t have a model that’s currently slated to replace either as well. Couple that with the fact that Ford is scheduled to enter into contract negotiations with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union next year, and it leaves a bit of a cloud of uncertainty over that facility’s future.

“It’s 100 percent on our radar,” Todd Dunn, president of UAW Local 862, told Automotive News. “Is there concern about product? Absolutely. It’s always on members’ minds as far as reinvesting in Louisville and continuing on. We want to make sure every North American assembly plant has production across the board. There’s conversation about flexibility and the ability to build any product, but there hasn’t been anything specific.” “Louisville Assembly Plant and our employees there are an important part of Ford’s manufacturing operations,” Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker added in an emailed statement.

It’s worth noting that Ford hasn’t closed a U.S.-based plant since it shuttered Twin Cities Assembly in Saint Paul, Minnesota back in 2011, though such potential changes are often used as bargaining chips in union negotiations. A perfect example of this is the automaker’s Oakville Assembly plant in Canada, which trimmed down from producing four models to just two recently. Both of those surviving models – the Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus – will no longer be built there following the 2023 model year, which led many to believe that the plant could close. However, following negotiations with Unifor, Oakville will soon be retooled to produce the all-electric Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator.

We’ll have more on the future of the Louisville Assembly plant soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.

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Comments

  1. Typical Ford finding a reason to let a product go stale and die. I bought a 2020 Escape Titanium 2.0 turbo new and find it to be a really good vehicle. The fuel economy is up there on what I like about it. At about 30 mpg the last 4,000 miles and I don’t have a light foot. The styling actually isn’t bad and I’m good with it. I was thinking about ordering a 2023 but would rather pay it off and order a pickup to supplement it in 5 years.

    Reply
  2. Ford needs an E car for the masses, in the tradition of Henry Ford. I drive a 2017 CMax…best car I’ve ever had.
    All Ford needs to do is convert it to an EMax!!!! Keep price under $30k
    to compete with Chevy’s Bolt, and they’d sell millions of them!!! You should call someone at Modele and ask them if they’re gonna be smart enough to do that. And please ca me for more insight…Gary Mulhall, Olympia, WA (360) 489-7071

    Reply
  3. The plant isn’t going anywhere-the Escape and Corsair are getting replaced by a new BEV platform in 2027. Ford is unwinding itself from Vw MEB platform (that where going to be built in Oakville, which recently changed) and replacing it with their own platform.

    Not to mention it’s close to BOC for batteries and I think there is another plant near by that will be building batteries.

    Reply
  4. Bring the Puma over from Europe. It’s sylish ane economical

    Reply
  5. They take the Edge which is selling well and a family can fit in it for 40K, a Nautilus which has a very upscale interior, discontinue them, now the Escape and Corsair. They are in trouble when the adoption rate for Evs is low and they have no Ice vehicles left.

    Reply
  6. It’s pretty simple…. build what sells. Get rid of the rest. BEV market growth is still a work in progress and far from certain for many builders. I say this for the armchair quarterbacks that never touched a ball in their lives.

    Reply
  7. With the 2023 Maverick selling out in 1 week, perhaps we should think about splitting the Bronco Sport and Maverick production to Louisville. I wouldn’t think it would be that big of a deal since they are both based on the Escape underpinnings.

    Reply
  8. Is it any wonder why? They selling lemons. I bought a 2022 corsair and whenever I get in it the seat tries to push me into the steering wheel. The transmission takes forever to shift from reverse to drive and chime sound changes randomly as well as the vent selection for the a/c

    Reply
  9. They can make it cheaper in Mexico, where they make the Maverick, It really is all about profit and dividend.

    Reply
  10. What is that strange rattle in my new Maverick it sounds like one of your workers put a marble in my dash defroster ? Not funny dude !

    Reply
  11. I had two Fusions, they stopped making them and I replaced the last one with an Explorer. I figured that as long as I was going to buy an SUV, I’d purchase one that was big enough to fit things in, so I am fine. My wife has a 15 Escape with the 2.0. Its a great little car and she loves it. When it needs to be replaced she would not even look at anything but an Escape. We are a Ford family, but what will we do when they don’t make the Escape anymore? She does not need not would she want an Expolorer. So, we will look at CRV”s, Rav 4’s, etc… They they wonder peoplle buy those brands rather then Ford. I can only say “stupid”. Ford giving up on the middle class. I don’t get these execs.

    Reply
    1. You should definitely check out the new (2023) Escape when you trade in the 2015. I have a 2020 with the 2.0 and it is really quick and efficient with the 8 speed. You definitely won’t be disappointed.

      Reply
    2. Or look at the Bronco Sport with the 2.0

      Reply
      1. I’m curious what the Bronco Sport with the 2.0 gets in the real world with the 20 city 26 highway (23 combined) EPA rating. That about the same as a 2015 Escape 2.0 was rated. Reason I recommend the Escape is because I average 27-28 mpg on most tanks and been at 30+ mpg the past 4,000 miles. That exceeds on average what the Sport should get at best. I regularly get 33-35 mpg on the highway running either 75 mph or 80. Winter driving is about 10-15% worse just like any other ICE vehicle.

        Reply
  12. It seems Ford is run by Chris Farley instead of his cousin Jim Farley.

    Reply
  13. We ordered a 2020 Escape PHEV at the end of 2020, but it was canceled with the Kuga problems in Europe. We reordered and were told we were first in line for a 2022. Now it is almost 2023 and other than emails to say we are still in line and thanks for our patience, we are starting to believe we will never see this car. I hope the wait is worth it.

    Reply
  14. Please notify me when construction is
    Beginning on the Lincoln Corsair as I
    Have placed an order with my local
    Dealer for a Lincoln Corsair.

    Reply

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