Ford Escape Could Follow The EcoSport To The Grave

Sales of theFord Escapedeclined by almost 20% in 2021 in the United States, although the SUV still managed to crack the list of the top 25 best-selling models in the country. Much of that decline can be attributed to the arrival of the more ruggedBronco Sport. The Escape still fills an important space within Ford's lineup as a softer crossover that competes with the likes of the Honda HR-V. But it appears that the Escape might be on the way out soon based on comments made by Ford CEO Jim Farley at the recent Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference.

Farley was speaking about the company's separate Ford Model e (focused on electric models) andFord Blue(focused on conventionally powered models) divisions when he dropped the hint about the Escape's potential demise. "The first step is you cannot ask everyone to do everything," said Farley. "You have to say: Blue team, be the cash cow. You heard it in our video. Our job is to fund the future. And we're going to have passion brands; we're not going to have commodity products like Edges and Escapes. Mustangs and Broncos… good stuff."

As we reported in August last year, the Ford Edge andLincoln Nautilusare going to be scrapped after 2023. The fact that Farley mentioned the Escape and the Edge in the same breath is indeed a sign that the former couldfollow the EcoSportand exit this market.