- Ford nearly named the Escape differently during early 2000s creativity.
- The idea came from Ford marketing veteran Leo V. Williams III.
- Executives rejected the name for not being a real dictionary word.
The Escape has been a fixture in Ford’s lineup since 2001, a compact SUV that helped define the brand’s modern family utility segment. Yet history could have gone a different way.
Had a single decision tilted otherwise, it might have joined the Explorer, Expedition, and Excursion under a very similar, albeit odd-sounding name: the Ford Excape.
Also: Ford Escape Door Latches Linked To Minor Injuries, Feds Open Investigation
However, Ford’s leadership wasn’t convinced. The idea, pitched by one of the company’s own marketing managers, didn’t make it past the boardroom.
What’s In A Name?
At the time, Leo V. Williams III was a key figure inside Ford, contributing significantly to the creation of the Expedition. He was given the task of naming that model and decided it should start with “Ex,” keeping it in line with the Explorer’s branding rhythm.
Williams says the name Expedition came from his experience in the Marine Corps Reserve, where the term “expeditionary” meant the ability to go anywhere and accomplish any mission. That spirit of capability and adventure matched the image Ford wanted for its new SUV, so Expedition stuck.
The proposal resonated with Ford Division chief Ross Roberts and Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales Bob Rewey, both Army veterans who appreciated the connection.
As Williams recently recalled in an interview on Ford’s media site, naming the Excursion and Escape proved more complicated. The Excursion alone went through as many as a dozen potential names before the final choice was made.
What Could Have Been?
“For the smaller SUV, the Escape, I actually wanted to take a risk and name it ‘E-X-C-A-P-E,’ Williams revealed.
“This was around the time hip-hop was becoming popular and automotive names were getting more creative. But my bosses got bogged down in the fact that it wasn’t a real word they could find in a dictionary. They liked the concept of being able to “escape” the everyday world, so we kept the name but lost the unique spelling.”
While it’s a bit of a shame that Ford didn’t opt for the Excape name, it’s not particularly surprising. In the early 2000s, legacy car manufacturers weren’t as creative with their nomenclatures as some of them are now.
There’s a small irony, though. The European version of the Escape is called the Ford Kuga, a name that, like the proposed Excape, doesn’t appear in any English dictionary.
