THE smile was extra-wide on the face of Ford New Zealand managing director Simon Rutherford.
Why? Because he was happily introducing to the Kiwi motoring media a pair of sports utilities that will compete in the two biggest-selling segments of the New Zealand passenger vehicle market.
The pair are the Escape, sourced from Spain, which will compete in the medium SUV segment which currently accounts for 20 percent of all new vehicle sales, and the Puma, out of Romania, which will sell in a compact SUV segment which accounts for an 18 percent slice.
Ford was not performing particularly well in those spots previously.
The medium SUV segment is dominated by the Toyota RAV4 which last year achieved 5611 sales, and other solid performers include Mazda CX-5 (3312 sales), Kia Sportage (3273) and Hyundai Tucson (2047). The previous generation Escape’? Just 1040 found homes last year.
In Ford terms that in itself was rather good, because the rest of the brand’s SUV fleet couldn’t get past 500 sales last year. The smallest and least expensive model, the EcoSport out of India, achieved just 446 registrations. Paltry compared to what the Mitsubishi ASX, Suzuki Vitara and Honda HR-V were achieving.
As a consequence of this mediocre customer acceptance of the Ford SUVs, the brand has had to rely on stellar performances by its commercial vehicles, particularly the Ranger ute.
Bald statistics tell the story. Last year Ford achieved a total of 14,776 new vehicle sales which put it in second place overall behind Toyota – but 64 percent of those sales were the Ranger, with the Transit van accounting for a further eight percent. And frankly, that left the rest of the Ford new vehicle fleet picking up the pieces.
But now there’s every prospect that will change.
Escape has undergone quite the transformation so it is now longer, lower and wider than before, and with svelte bodyshell lines that must put the vehicle up there as one of the best-looking competitors in the medium SUV selection. Its interior has also been modernised and now features the same rotary-style shifter as that aboard the Focus hatch which is built off the same platform.
There are some design features that help set the new Escape apart, too. One is a sliding rear seat that can be moved back and forward to provide a choice of more cargo room or more rear leg room. Another is a tonneau cover that is attached to the rear glass so it moves out of the way when the rear hatch is lifted up. Another? Little rubber arms that pop out of the doors whenever they are opened, to help protect paintwork.