"It will have a designation as a SULEV, a super ultra low emission vehicle, so it is absolutely cleaner than anything else on the market and get 35 to 40 mpg in city driving," he said. "How could you not support a vehicle like this that can also carry passengers and cargo?"
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| "How could you not support a vehicle like this that can also carry passengers and cargo?" (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
An SULEV, according to the California LEV II program, is 99.9 percent cleaner than the emissions from a 1960s car and will emit only one pound of hydrocarbons during 160,000 kilometers of driving.
The Escape will have competition in the SUV market, however much higher up the scale of economy. Toyota's Lexus luxury brand is rolling out the RX 400h, a luxury hybrid SUV based on the RX 330, later this year that will also be rated as an SULEV, but rather than solely focusing on fuel economy and emissions benefits the Lexus is biased toward performance using a 3.3-liter V6 engine in tandem with an electric powertrain to achieve only 27.6 mpg. Pricing for the RX 400h has not been released, but the base price for conventional RX 330s is $49,900-$65,095, which is substantially higher than an Escape.
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| Although the first to market as an SUV, the Ford Escape will quickly have some stiff competition by the likes of Toyota's Highlander. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
Bridging the economic gap between the Lexus and Ford SUVs will be Toyota's upcoming 7-occupant Highlander Hybrid, which shares general architecture with the RX400h as well as much of its drivetrain.
During an April 2003 announcement when Ford displayed its Escape Hybrid at the New York auto show, the Futura was designated as the next candidate to become an HEV. The gasoline-powered Futura that will replace the Taurus, which will be made in Mexico, is coming out in 2005 as a 2006 model, and the hybrid would likely come out after the four- and six-cylinder versions enter production.