Ford to Overhaul Crossover Lineup, Debut Updated EcoSport by 2020: Report
The next-generation Escape and a new model allegedly called the Puma could be unveiled in the next 12 months.
Some of us are still scratching our heads over Ford’s bombshell announcement from last year confirming it was killing off all passenger cars in the United States with the exception of the Mustang. With Ford becoming a truck, SUV, Mustang brand in its home market, it's raised questions about the future of its lineup.
We just saw the 2020 Explorer unveiled in Detroit and now we have a few hints at what the next generation of small Ford crossovers might consist of. According to Automotive News, a new subcompact crossover based on the Fiesta and the upcoming Kuga are expected to be unveiled sometime in the next year. What Europe calls the Kuga, we call the Escape—they’re the same vehicle just badged differently.
The mysterious Fiesta-based crossover will likely be either a replacement or a next-gen model of the EcoSport (one rumor states it will be a new model called the Ford Puma.) The U.S. just got the EcoSport as a 2018 model, but that nameplate has been around in other parts of the world since 2003 and its current generation began in the 2013 model year. By the time we got it here, it was already a bit stale.
It sounds like these refreshed small crossovers are focused on Europe and don’t necessarily mean much for the States. Ford has been struggling to achieve consistent profitability in Europe and it’s hoping fresh little crossovers will help with that because, well, that’s was Europeans are buying.
"We will have a replacement for the Kuga coming soon," a Ford Europe representative confirmed in an email to The Drive. He went on to say that Ford Europe is "planning to launch a new crossover in Europe that will build on the success of the EcoSport."
Although we can’t say with certainty this means we can expect a new Escape, it would be kind of silly to give Europe a new Kuga and not treat those of us in Ford's backyard. Where things are a little more uncertain is with that Fiesta-based crossover that might not make it to our shores.