Final Ford Escape leaves Louisville factory ending one era as an EV era begins
Published on Dec 24, 2025 at 4:55 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Dec 24, 2025 at 4:55 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Claire Reid
It’s the end of an era as the last ever Ford Escape has rolled off the production Louisville Assembly Plant, and it had a fitting send-off by workers.
The Escape was jointly developed by Ford and Mazda, and went into production in 2000.
Earlier this year, and after more than two decades in production, Ford announced that the SUV would be retired alongside the Lincoln Corsair.
Now, the last Escape has been built, and Ford is already retooling the plant for what’s next.
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It’s time for the Ford Escape to make an exit
During its lifetime, millions of Ford Escapes have been sold in markets across the globe, including the US, Europe, and China.
But all good things must come to an end.
“Production will stop for Escape and Corsair later this year when we start retooling the plant,” Ford’s head of media relations Mark Truby said in August.
He went on to reassure Ford fans that the carmaker was going to have enough inventory to continue selling both vehicles ‘well into 2026’.
Four months on, the final Ford Escape has left the line at the Louisville Assembly Plant.
Plant worker Gregorio Mosiea shared an image of the last unit to be built, and revealed the end of the Escape’s era didn’t go unnoticed.
Workers at the plant covered the car’s white bodywork in signatures and messages as they said a fond ‘farewell’ to the long-running nameplate.
Sharing the image on Facebook, Mosiea said he’d been working at Ford since 2016 and was now looking ahead to the future.
“I love change so this is exciting for me,” he said.
Mosiea also shared that ‘guys in hard hats’ were already entering the plant to strip it down and retool it for a brand-new vehicle.
The Louisville Assembly Plant will to get a $2 billion from Ford
Ford has ambitious plans for the Louisville Assembly Plant.
Now that production has ended on the Escape, the facility will be undergoing a huge transformation.
Ford has said it will be investing around $2 billion into the facility to create its new Ford Universal EV Production System, which will help pave the way for a ‘generation of affordable electric vehicles’ that can be built at scale.
The first car to be built on the new production system, will be a brand-new mid-sized EV pickup that will launch on the carmaker’s Universal EV Platform.
The new EV pickup is slated to go into production in 2027.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
