Ford Reportedly Killing Off These Gas-Powered SUVs to Build Its Cheap New EV
For the $30,000 EV to live, these mainstream SUVs competing in some of the hottest segments must die?
Justin BannerWriterMotorTrend StaffPhotographerManufacturerPhotographerAug 12, 2025
3 2025 Ford Escape ST front view
While the idea of an inexpensive vehicle, electric or not, is a great thing, killing an existing entry-level vehicle in order to make a new, slightly less affordable EV might not go over to well with existing customers. Even so, that’s what’s about to happen to Ford’s Escape SUV and Lincoln’s Corsair, each vehicle being the entry-level conventionally powered SUV for its respective brand. They’re being sacrificed to make way at one of Ford’s Louisville, Kentucky, plants to produce the new, headline-grabbing $30,000 EV pickup and its eventual spin-offs (which include at least two SUVs on the same platform).
According to Edmunds, Ford will stop production of the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair after the 2026 model year to close the Louisville plant where they’re made to retool for the yet-to-be-named (or revealed) new cheap electric trucklet. This is part of a $5 billion dollar investment and plan to get the Universal EV Production System installed there and start churning out more affordable EVs, starting with that truck coming for 2027.
Edmunds’ report suggests there is enough stock of the Escape and Corsair to sell well into 2026. However, once those are gone, the Escape and Corsair are gone for good. For Ford, provided its lineup doesn’t change otherwise in the interim, that means the least-expensive SUVs it’ll sell will be the Bronco Sport and larger Bronco; for Lincoln, that raises the entry point to the brand to the pricier midsize Nautilus (excellent though that SUV may be).
This is, of course, a huge gamble as even Edmunds points out that the Ford Escape was the second best-selling SUV for Ford in 2024, which also has spent years systematically removing affordable cars and SUVs from its lineup; remember the Fiesta, Focus, or Fusion, or the EcoSport that slotted beneath the Escape? The only cheap thing Ford’s introduced lately has been the compact Maverick small pickup, which is related to the Bronco Sport and Escape but has seen steady price increases over the years to near-midsize MSRPs.
004 2025 Ford Escape Hybrid rear view
We’ve reached out to Ford for comment on letting its second best-selling mainstream SUV—which competes in one of the hottest vehicle segments out there, internal-combustion-powered compact SUVs—die off in favor of a fully electric truck, and we’ll update this story when we hear back. That said, the Escape is survived by the much more appealing Bronco Sport, which at the time of this writing only costs about a grand more than the cheapest Escape (and comes with more stuff, including standard all-wheel drive), so it’s not all bad news. Lincoln, on the other hand, will rely more heavily on the Nautilus’ excellence to justify losing the some $13,000-cheaper Corsair from showrooms—unless Lincoln’s getting a version of the new cheap EV in the future…
Justin Banner
Having experience in many forms of the automotive industry, Justin Banner has done more than just write about cars. For more than 15 years, he’s had experience working as an automotive service technician—including a stint as a Virginia State Inspector—service advisor, parts sales, and aftermarket parts technical advisor (a fancy way of saying he helped you on the phone when you had trouble fitting your brakes over your aftermarket wheels and the like). Prior to his tenure as a full-time editor, Justin worked as a freelance writer and photographer for various publications and as an automotive content creator on YouTube. He’s also covered multiple forms of motorsports ranging from Formula Drift, drag racing, and time attack, to NASCAR, short course off-roading, and open desert racing. He’s best known for breaking down complex technical concepts so a layperson can more easily understand why technologies, repairs, and parts should matter to them. At MotorTrend, Justin is part of the news team covering breaking news and topics while also working as a judge for MotorTrend Of the Year events and other major comparison tests.
