After months of concept car tease, Ford finally took the covers off its highly anticipated Escape SUV at the Los Angeles Motor Show.
But Ford Australia will have to wait at least another 12 months before the softroader arrives Down Under.
While the Escape is due on sale in Europe and North America by mid 2012, Australia must wait for the Thailand factory to come on line in the second half of 2012.
The new Escape is based on the same underpinnings as the all-new Focus small car – a vehicle that four years ago was tipped to be built in Australia.
Had those plans gone ahead, it would have opened the door for Ford to also build the Escape at Broadmeadows, giving Ford a locally made entrant in the two biggest segments of the Australian new car market.
Unfortunately the free trade agreement with Thailand – and Australia’s strong dollar – swung the deal in favour of making the Focus and Escape in Thailand and forcing the vehicles to become import-only propositions for Ford Australia.
The Escape is the biggest selling compact SUV in North America but the same nameplate in Australia has struggled against newer competition.
The Escape is effectively 10 years old – even though it has had a number of updates during its lifecycle – and in sales ranks outside the top 15 in the class so far this year.
The new model will gain much of the technology available in the Focus such as auto parking, blindspot warning and radar cruise control.
It will also be available with a motion sensor beneath the rear bumper that opens the tailgate by swinging your foot if your hands are full. The same system was debuted by Volkswagen on the Passat wagon a year ago.
Overseas Escape models (it will be called Kuga in Europe and China) will be available with 1.6-, 2.0-, and 2.5-litre petrol engines and a 2.0-litre diesel. Ford Australia is yet to confirm the engine line-up locally but Motoring.com.au understands that the Escape will be available with at least two engines: the 2.0-litre petrol and diesel.
The vehicle is also expected to retain the Escape name given the brand awareness of the original Escape model which was also sold as a Mazda Tribute between 2001 and 2008.
Mazda will not get a version of the new model; instead the Japanese car maker has taken its own path, adopting the CX5 softroader due early in 2012.
More LA Motor Show news on motoring.com.au
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