Rumors of the impending discontinuation of the Ford Escape have been lingering for years now, and from multiple sources. In fact, back in late January, a report surfaced that indicated Ford Escape production at the Louisville Assembly plant is slated to end by the conclusion of 2025, after which The Blue Oval will focus on the Ford Bronco Sport as its compact crossover of choice. Now, a new report confirms that the Louisville Assembly plant will indeed close later this year and undergo retooling.
This report comes to us from WDRB, which notes that the United Auto Workers (UAW) union representing workers at the Louisville Assembly plant has confirmed that the facility will close for somewhere between 8-10 months to undergo a “massive remodeling project” starting in December 2025 or possibly sooner. The Blue Oval didn’t confirm this particular report, but a spokesperson did say that “In 2023, Ford committed a vehicle for Louisville Assembly Plant. We will have more details to share later.” UAW leaders confirmed that the plant’s 2,300 workers will be laid off during this retooling, but will receive unemployment benefits and are set to return once the process is completed.
As Ford Authority reported in November 2023, Ford’s new master contract agreement with the United Auto Workers (UAW) stated that the Escape and Lincoln Corsair would only be built through the “planned product lifecycle” of each, after which an “all new EV product will be added.” CEO Jim Farley later hinted the Louisville Assembly plant was being retooled for the production of the company’s under-development low-cost all-electric vehicles, too.
At first, many expected that the first low-cost EV riding on this brand new platform would be some sort of small crossover in the vein of the Escape, but as Ford Authority reported last August, FoMoCo later confirmed that “the first affordable vehicle off this new platform will be a mid-sized electric pickup launching in 2027 that is expected to cater to customers who want more for their money – more range, more utility, more usability.”
Comments
Cancel a strong selling vehicle and replace it with an EV that’s probably going to sell a 10th of what the Escape and Corsair does. Very smart business move! Is the upper management at Ford and GM that ignorant?
They are. Ridiculous. The management of both needs replacement, ASAP. I’m sure the workers in Louisville are thrilled.
So you get rid of the good price level entry vehicles, granted the EcoSport wasn’t that good, but the Edge was a solid 100K a year for sales. Now you get rid of a sub 30K vehicles that can sell 130K a year for an EV that won’t even do half that. Lincoln will be left with no models under 50K price tag. The Nautilus was discontinued for production in Canada and is now made in China and has all kinds of issues, and some recalls like the front brake rotors with no repairs till the end of 2025. Not a smart move.
Ford needs something to compete with the Toyota Rav4 or even lower priced Chevy Trax. The Bronco sport isn’t it. The Escape wasn’t styled aggressively enough and it didn’t have the right stance like the Rav4 and Trax do.
Trax is an underpowered FWD only made in Korea, Ford doesn’t need anything like that. They have not planned anything ICE powered to be built in this country, so it would be years away. The EscSport was the Trax size, and it did poorly.
GM sold almost 60K Trax in Q1 2025, up from 38K in Q1 last year. Ford talks about the affordable EV, buy customers are buying the affordable ICE. Pathetic styling killed the EcoSport, it LOOKED ‘eco’. Maverick was a smart move.
Wonder where they’re going to put the Maverick and Bronco Sport should they move them to the US. Flat Rock? BOC?
Another move that’s going to push Ford down the road Packard, Studebaker and AMC among others have traveled, Oblivion
We’re seeing a repeat of the Edge/Nautilus fiasco – abandon a segment after calling it a commodity, replace it with a money-losing EV. Ignore the fact that current EV plants are grossly underutilized.
Alan Mulally had a telling assessment when he arrived: “We’ve been slowly going out of business for 40 years.” Back on track, it seems.
We are definitely in Malaise Era 2.0. I think the American auto industry is at its lowest point ever- 2008 included.
“ CEO Jim Farley later hinted the Louisville Assembly plant was being retooled for the production of the company’s under-development low-cost all-electric vehicles, too.”
The first such vehicle is thought to be a small truck that was supposed to be built in Mexico. I guess it’s now going to be moved.
Will Lincoln’s lineup shrink to just three models: Nautilus, Aviator, Navigator? Maybe they have an EV Corsair planned.
Ford executives and the Board of Directors need to have their heads examined. This has to be the worst cadre of “managers” since at least the late 1970s.
ESCAPE +2.08% 37,357 36,595
From the first quarter sales article. One of the few models posting an increase. Outsold Bronco as well as Bronco Sport. And they are going to kill it. I suppose that all R&D money is going to EVs. Ford is in a death spiral.
Just Fire Jim Farley , and hire a man like Walter Chrysler, Lee Iocca , Nash , or Alvan McCauley , This Jim Farley does not Know anything about selling autos ! I sold Ford autos , and Ford Trucks to the customers because they knew what they liked about Ford Products. Now, Ford has lost its way !