Ford is planning to discontinue the Escape, Edge and Transit Connect to make more capital available for its EV push, a major point of CEO Jim Farley’s plans to return Ford to its once industry-leading position.
Ford, one of the longest-standing car companies in the world, has ultimately decided to transition away from the gas-powered models that have brought it so much success for a century.
Ford has been one of the most committed legacy OEMs in terms of EV adoption and has also been one of the most successful to do so since putting its cards on the table and admitting it will need EVs to run a top-notch and sustainable business into the next few decades.
According to Automotive News, Ford is planning to get rid of the two SUVs and commercial van due to higher-than-expected losses in 2023---Ford is set to lose $4.5 billion more than it previously expected, according to the report.
Ford has bolstered its EV production with expansions of various facilities and has even set aside billions for a dedicated production facility for EVs and batteries in Tennessee.
However, its 400,000-unit annual production goal set to be achieved in 2024 has been pushed back. It planned to quadruple that number by 2026 and bring 2 million EVs to customers that year, but that figure is also being re-examined.
It would not be the first time a company didn’t reach its annual production goals for EVs. Many automakers have set out to produce a figure that seemed extremely lofty at the time, only to come up short as the production and manufacturing processes are seemingly more complex than initially thought.
But Ford still has a lot going for it on the EV front. It has plans to bring a next-gen pickup to its brand sometime within the next couple of years, and the F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E are becoming more popular with every quarter as the automaker continues to reduce prices and achieve more scalability.
The Edge will be discontinued as the Oakville, Ontario, Canada, plant the car is built in will be retooled to make way for a three-row all-electric SUV. Meanwhile, the Transit Connect will only be removed from U.S. showrooms, but the European market will have access to the vehicle.
The Escape is one of Ford’s most popular models, and there is currently no set date for the SUV to be removed from production. It is more than likely going to be built for the next few years, but there are no plans to make an electric iteration of the Escape, at least for now.
Abby Andrews