Ford Escape Ford Motor Co. is ending production of two popular small SUVs at year-end: the Ford Escape and the Lincoln Corsair.
But there’s no need for car buyers to panic, car shopping experts said. Ford will build enough of the two models to carry sales through 2026, the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker said. Ford does have a replacement in mind to fill the small SUV space — but what that vehicle will be and when it will arrive remain a mystery.
The Escape and Corsair have been good for Ford because they are entry-level vehicles that bring new customers into each brand. The 2025 Escape starts at $29,515 and the 2025 Corsair, the lowest priced vehicle in Ford’s luxury brand Lincoln’s lineup, starts at $41,230.
So if car buyers are willing to wait and time it just right, experts say the demise of these two vehicles could result in big discounts.
“Much will depend on how consumers respond,” said Kevin Roberts, director of economic and market Intelligence at car shopping site CarGurus. “Historically, when a model ends production, demand tends to ease. That often means vehicles sit on dealer lots longer, which usually results in more incentives and discounts to help clear them out and make room for models still in production.”
Key Points
- Ford will stop producing the Escape and Corsair SUVs at the end of 2025, but anticipates having enough inventory to last through 2026.
- Experts predict potential discounts on these models as production ends, but advise buyers to act strategically to secure the best deals before incentives disappear.
- While parts availability is not expected to be an immediate concern, resale values for discontinued models typically depreciate more rapidly.
But Edmunds’ auto industry expert Ivan Drury warns car buyers to not wait too long for that deal.
“As a consumer, you have a window of time to balance discounts and inventory available to get the right color and configuration,” Drury, Edmunds’ director of insights told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. Ford Escape “Even if you don’t care about specifics and just want the best deal, don’t wait too long, at some point the automaker stops supplying discounts and the price you pay will be 100% determined by your negotiation skills and the dealerships’ willingness to sell at discount.”
Getting a good deal is good enough
Drury said as models wind down their lifecycle, automakers typically curb production to balance it so that dealers aren’t left with excess inventory of those vehicles, but at the same time are not left in “a dry spell” without enough of the outgoing models in stock before the new or redesigned model arrives.
As the outgoing models near the end of their run, which, in Ford’s case with the Escape and Corsair, would likely be in the fall of next year, Drury said it is common for carmakers to offer incentives or financing deals on those outgoing models to make way for the new replacement model.
Given that Ford has said it would announce details of a new vehicle in the small SUV segment at a later date, the uncertainty of what’s next, Ford Escape means consumers have to be savvy about getting the best deal for a Corsair or Escape.
Parts availability, no problem
So let’s say you get a great deal on one of these outgoing vehicles, does it mean you should buy it or not? There are downsides to consider in buying a vehicle that an automaker is planning to discontinue, such as, will there be parts for it if it needs repairs or what will its resale value be?
“It is a commonly held belief that carmakers are required to make replacement parts available for 10 years after a vehicle’s launch, but this is not a mandatory requirement, though it is a common practice,” Drury said.
He said parts for most vehicles remain available through dealerships or in the aftermarket from parts supply stores.Ford Escape Also, with most modern vehicles sharing platforms and automakers endeavoring to reduce costs by utilizing the same parts across various model lines and for extended periods, Drury said parts availability should not be a problem. That is especially true in this case because the Escape and Corsair are popular vehicle lines that have been in production for many years.