Ford Motor Firm president and CEO Jim Farley has declared his disdain for ‘two-row crossovers’ – such because the Toyota RAV4, Australia’s best-selling SUV – and has indicated the equally sized Ford Escape is about to be axed globally.
The Blue Oval model will use the identical Louisville, Kentucky, plant within the US to construct a brand new Ford Ranger-sized dual-cab electrical ute from 2027, and it seems the Ford Escape at present made in the identical plant will make method for the brand new mannequin.
“Now could be time to vary the sport as soon as once more,” Mr Farley mentioned through the announcement of Ford Common EV Platform final week.
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“The brand new pickup, constructed right here in Louisville, goes to remedy loads of issues, like all these generic, two-row crossovers that dominate our business,” the Ford boss added.
After launching as a cousin to the Mazda Tribute, the Escape finally moved to the identical platform because the Focus small automobile earlier than being dropped from Ford Australia showrooms after greater than 20 years on sale Down Underneath. For a few years, it was bought right here because the Kuga, because it nonetheless is in Europe.
Mr Farley – a self-confessed petrol-head and automobile fanatic – beforehand mentioned the two-row SUV phase didn’t work for Ford, confirming in a earlier earnings name that the US automaker would now not produce automobiles to compete in it.
“We’re not going to be enjoying within the two-row commodity crossover market as a result of that’s – as a result of Ford’s tried that within the ICE [internal combustion engine] enterprise and it didn’t actually work out for us,” Mr Farley mentioned on the time.
“We wish to play our hand, our power… business, truck, bigger automobiles on the class aspect.”
That’s regardless of the actual fact the Puma gentle SUV – one other ‘two-row crossover’ that was dropped from Ford’s Australian lineup, in 2024 – tops the gross sales charts within the UK, and that the RAV4 was Toyota’s best-selling mannequin in Australia final yr, when it threatened to knock off the Ranger for the primary spot general.
Even in Ford’s house market – the place the Ford F-Collection full-size pickup was the best-seller, comfortably forward of the second-placed Chevrolet Silverado – the RAV4 was North America’s third hottest mannequin general within the first half of 2025.
The RAV4 was considered one of three ‘two-row’ SUVs within the prime 10, together with the Honda CR-V in fourth and the Chevrolet Equinox (not obtainable in Australia) in tenth.
The Ford Escape was twenty fourth with 82,589 gross sales, in comparison with the RAV4’s 239,451. Nonetheless, Ford additionally splits the phase by providing the associated Bronco Sport crossover SUV, of which it bought 72,438 examples within the first half of 2025.
Underneath Mr Farley, who has led Ford since 2020, the automaker dropped the Ford Edge two-row SUV, which was bought in Australia because the Endura between 2018 and 2020.
The Lincoln Corsair – based mostly on the Escape – additionally seems on borrowed time given it’s additionally made on the Louisville plant the place the brand new EV pickup will probably be produced.
The Australian-market Everest – the second-best promoting Ford mannequin regionally – has five- and seven-seat variants so it technically doesn’t fairly match into the class the Ford boss has been so outspoken about.
The transfer away from what Mr Farley describes as ‘generic’ crossovers follows his dedication to cease making ‘boring’ vehicles because the model focuses on its ‘icons’ corresponding to F-Collection, Mustang and Bronco in future.
That additionally contains – though it’s not but formally confirmed – a transfer again in direction of passenger vehicles in Europe, the place over many many years Ford constructed a robust fame amongst fans for its sporting variations of the Cortina, Escort, Sierra, Focus and Fiesta, amongst others.
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