Ford's US-spec Kuga just "steps on the brakes"! It is rumored that it will return to the car industry with a new universal platform

The Kuga (known as Escape in the U.S. version), which contributes nearly 200,000 sales to Ford every year, is about to retire. At the end of last year, the original factory closed the 70-year-old Louisville assembly line, which means that the U.S. version of the Kuga has officially ceased production. However, the official website shows that "Ford Escape is applying the brakes," which seems to imply that the car has not completely retired. Recently, it has been reported that it is expected to return to the market on a UEV platform.

According to foreign media reports, Ford will produce a new UEV universal electric vehicle platform. The first vehicle will be the Fathom medium-sized pickup truck priced at US$28,350 (approximately NT$910,000). The platform will cover sedans, crossovers, SUVs, MPVs, etc. The SUV is expected to correspond to the pure electric version of the Escape, which is expected to be put into production in 2029. However, this news has not been confirmed by the original manufacturer.

Judging from the official website of Ford in the United States, the Escape did not directly announce the discontinuation of production like the Edge back then. Instead, the words "Ford Escape is applying the brakes" are displayed, which evokes many associations. After all, after this mid-sized SUV is retired, its name is still resounding. If it can return to the car industry with a pure electric architecture, it will save a lot of publicity expenses.

As for UEV's first model, the Fathom medium-sized pickup truck, the manufacturer emphasized that the cabin space is quite ample and can accommodate 5 adults. The overall seating space is even larger than that of the Toyota RAV4. It not only has a traditional cargo compartment in front but also a front luggage compartment. It is equipped with a large-size central touch screen, BlueCruise hands-free highway driving assistance, Apple Maps navigation integration, digital key, two-way power supply, etc. The cruising range is 483 kilometers.