Ford dealers hoping to keep ‘Escape’ badge when Kuga based replacement arrives

FoMoCo dealers are looking forward to a much-needed successor to the Ford Escape and if they can have their own way, the “Escape” badge would live on as the official name for the mid-size crossover.

The current Ford Escape is scheduled to be replaced by a version of the European based Kuga, which will see production at Ford’s Louisville, KY, assembly plant starting 2011. Ford has not commented on whether it will drop the Escape badge and adopt the Kuga name for the crossover.

“I believe the Escape is a great vehicle with a great reputation and that it would be a big mistake to kill the Escape name,” Owen Mossy, general manager of San Diego-based Mossy Ford, told WardsAuto.

Of course if Ford ditched the Escape badge, it would be tossing away a name with significant brand recognition in turn harming sales of one of the best sellers for the Dearborn automaker.

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– By: Omar Rana

Source: WardsAuto