25 Years of Escape: How One Small SUV Shaped the Market

The Ford Explorer had already established itself as the king of SUVs by the late 1990s, but the small SUV segment that we know well today was still in its infancy. Ford took ahold of the new market with Escape, which began production 25 years ago this summer. 

Unbeknownst to Ford, its partners at Mazda were already working on a small SUV in the late 1990s. After a contingent of 30 Ford designers and engineers visited Japan to learn about Mazda’s small SUV prototype, the decision was made to combine the programs, also bringing the Mazda Tribute to market.  

Despite the close collaboration, the only sheet metal the Escape and Tribute had in common was the roof panel, while they had no common parts within an owner’s reach in the interior. A joint engineering team handled the basic architecture of the vehicles, but separate engineering brand teams were charged with ensuring each of the SUVs communicated its own unique identity.  

“We wanted to keep the Ford a Ford and make the Mazda a Mazda,” Paul Linden, Escape project management supervisor, told Ford World in July 2000. “Both vehicles have unique exterior designs. Directionally, the Ford vehicle is a tough truck, while the Mazda is positioned as an elegant sports sedan.”

Tough, but nimble 

Escape was billed as versatile enough for the most active lifestyle, but also nimble enough to traverse a city. Built on an all-new unibody platform, the SUV offered the most powerful V-6 in its class and the then-new Control Trac II four-wheel-drive system. The new Escape was built at Kansas City Assembly Plant, which had undergone a massive expansion and renovation project to accommodate its manufacture, alongside that of the Tribute beginning in June of 2000. Production of the Escape was moved to Louisville Assembly Plant in 2012.  

Escape quickly became America’s best-selling small SUV, outselling competitors like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 within its first year of production. It also has a legacy as world’s first hybrid SUV, launching in in 2005 and winning North American Truck of the Year honors. It was also the first hybrid model offered by an American-based automaker. Escape Hybrid sold more than 100,000 units before being discontinued in 2012. It returned with the 2020 model year. 

Escape was America’s second-best-selling SUV in the early 2010s when its third generation model hit the market. It was Ford’s second-best selling vehicle in the U.S. behind F-Series as recently as 2019, when the fourth generation launched. Ford has sold more than 4.5 million Escapes in North America to-date, and sales of the SUV were up nearly 30% in the second quarter of this year, led by the ST-Line series. 

A legacy of collaboration and connection 

This summer, we mark 25 years of the Ford Escape, a vehicle that has consistently demonstrated our ability to innovate and connect with customers. From its early success to its continued popularity, the Escape's story is a powerful reminder of the lasting impact our collective efforts have on the world. 

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