The Shanghai motor show last month saw the unveiling of the new Ford Escort Concept, which got a lot of attention. It’s great to see the iconic nameplate returning to life.
The Ford Escort Concept showcases Ford’s vision for how the company could serve additional customers in China’s compact car segment – a segment that accounts for over 25 per cent of the country’s total vehicle industry and includes the Ford Focus, the best-selling nameplate in China last year as well as the best-selling nameplate worldwide.
Building on the success of the Focus, the Ford Escort Concept is a new kind of compact car, designed for a very different customer. Both Focus and Escort Concept deliver high quality, safety and fuel economy. While Focus successfully meets the needs of those seeking a fun driving experience and high level of technology, the Escort Concept is for those customers who value exceptional roominess, uncompromised functionality and sophisticated design.
It’s roomy interior, attention to detail, and precise and refined surface language really give the concept car its harmonious aesthetics, where desirable is actually attainable.
While Ford has admitted that they’ve had discussions about bringing it to Europe to sit beneath the Focus on price, the Auto Trade Journal has learned that it will not be coming to the UK. Consequently, the legendary name will also not be going on sale in Ireland.
A UK source explained the background to their decision. Basically, the British dislike of compact/medium saloons, and also the negative effects of the later versions of the Escort, would make it a very hard sell their.
Because our large car market neighbours will decline to import the new Escort, it is very unlikely to be offered in Ireland as Chinese production is right-hand drive (RHD). However, if left-hand drive markets such as Australia, Japan, India, South Africa were to get the new Escort, it would possible, those still unlikely to see RHD cars on super transporter ships heading for Europe.
By 2015, Ford plans to launch seven new plants in Asia Pacific – five in China – and have the ability to produce 2.7 million vehicles a year in the region.
Less than a year ago, Ford announced that as part of its largest expansion in 50 years the company would build a new state-of-the-art assembly plant in Hangzhou and double its production capacity in China to over 1 million passenger cars annually by 2015. Ford and its joint venture Changan Ford are investing $760 million in the plant.
The Hangzhou investment is in addition to a $1.1 billion investment the company made to expand capacity at its Chongqing facilities including at Changan Ford Assembly Plant No. 2, the plant that makes Focus in China.
Ford also has been expanding its dealer network in China and further developing its supply chain to deliver 15 new vehicles by 2015.
