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November 08, 2006

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Ford Escape sales across the Million Mark


Photos: Ford

Escape is the best-selling small-utility vehicle over the past six years, offering traditional SUV capability and styling with crossover handling and fuel economy. Today, Escape still leads the small utility segment, which has almost doubled in volume from 800,000 units in 2000 to an estimated 1.5 million sales in 2006.

America’s favorite small utility has passed the million mark. Ford has sold more than 1 million Escapes since the vehicle’s introduction in November, 2000, making it the best-selling small-utility vehicle on the market, as well as the industry’s best-selling crossover of any size, for the past six years.

 
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When the 2001 Escape was introduced, the majority of small utilities on the market were crude and unrefined, many featuring solid rear axles – and even solid front axles – and part-time four-wheel-drive systems which were limited to off-road use only.

A handful of utility vehicles featured very car-based design and equipment, including unibody construction, a fully independent suspension, and either front-wheel or four-wheel drive configurations.

Escape incorporated the wide, solid stance and successful design cues of Ford’s larger SUVs in a more compact package. Escape also mets Ford Tough Truck standards, subjected to durability testing in the heat of the Australian outback, the sub-zero cold of Manitoba, Canada, and pulling a 3,500-pound trailer up the severe grades of the Davis Dam in Nevada. Off-road capability was enhanced by almost eight inches of maximum ground clearance and an advanced all-wheel-drive system that automatically divided torque between the front and rear axles.

Escape featured lightweight, unibody construction, MacPherson front struts, independent rear suspension and rack-and-pinion steering system for agile handling and improved ride comfort. Underhood, Escape featured either a four-cylinder or V-6 engines for impressive fuel economy –which was further enhanced with the Escape Hybrid in 2004. The advanced all-wheel drive system also provided all-weather traction by instantly transferred toque to the rear wheels.

New 2008 Escape to Build on Original’s Successful Formula

Six years later, the Escape remains the sales leader of the small-utility segment, a remarkable feat considering the increased segment volume.

The Escape helped ignite consumer demand for more fuel-efficient utility vehicles, with the 2.3-liter, four-cylinder Escape delivering up to 26 miles per gallon. The Escape Hybrid – the first hybrid utility vehicle in the industry – is the most fuel-efficient utility vehicle on the market, delivering up to 36 miles per gallon.

Increased demand for small, fuel-efficient utilities has almost doubled the segment volume, from 800,000 units in 2000 to an estimated 1.5 million in 2006. In the process, the segment has changed from a waypoint into a larger SUV into a destination.

Codina is scheduled to unveil the redesigned 2008 Escape at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show on Nov. 29. The new model will build on the Escape’s unique combination of off-road adventure with on-road fun – once again resetting the bar for the small utility segment. In addition, Escape will continue to play a vital role in the best line of utility vehicles in the industry, which includes:

(November 3, 2006)

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