A Quiet Send-Off at Louisville Assembly
Ford announced the end of the Escape and Lincoln Corsair back in August, and now it’s official. The last Escape has left the Louisville Assembly Plant (LAP), closing the book on a model that quietly moved a lot of units for Ford over the years.
On the factory floor, the end hit home for the people who built these cars. Gregorio Mosiea, one of the team at LAP, took a picture of the last Ford Escape to roll out of the assembly line, its body covered in signatures from everyone who worked on the popular nameplate. It was a simple send-off from the people who spent years on the line.
Mosiea added that as he left, crews in hard hats were already moving in, starting to strip out the old lines, which brings us to what will happen next to the factory.
Retooling the Louisville Assembly Plant
With Escape and Corsair production complete, the Louisville facility is now headed into a major transformation. Ford is investing roughly $2 billion to retool the plant for a new mid-size all-electric pickup based on its Universal EV Platform, with production currently targeted for 2027. The plan was part of Ford’s announced reset this week.
Unfortunately, the change won’t be easy for everyone. About 2,000 workers will be off the job for close to 10 months while the plant gets reworked. UAW Local 862 is stepping in with partial pay and help finding temp jobs to get people through.
Ford
You Can’t Order One, But You Can Still Find One
You can’t order a new Escape from the factory, but they’re not gone from showrooms yet. Based on inventory listings found on Cars.com, more than 14,000 new 2026 Ford Escape units are still out there, mostly in the Active trim, both FWD and AWD.
Pricing is also softer than usual. Some examples are listed at around $23,600, roughly $6,000 below MSRP. That’s a huge cut, so if you’re shopping around for one, make sure to check dealerships’ current inventory to find a good deal. You can also find lease offers for the final model year if that’s what you’re after.
Availability does come with a catch: Escapes won’t be sold in states that follow California’s stricter CARB emissions rules, and Corsair sales there are limited to the PHEV Grand Touring.
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