[Sales Results January '21]

3 hours ago, rperez817 said:

 

No surprise. Ford has always had issues with production and inventory planning.

 

It's not just Escape, either. Ford models comprise 5 of the 10 models (4 if you combine Expedition and Expedition MAX) with the most unsold 2020 model year inventory. Looks like Ford continues to practice the "overproduce and hope for the best, customer demand be damned" technique it has been doing for many years.

 

New Cars with the Highest Share of 2020 Inventory (iSeeCars Study)
Rank	Vehicle	% 2020 Inventory
1	Ford Escape	90.4%
2	Ford EcoSport	71.3%
3	Chevrolet Bolt EV	68.9%
4	Ford Expedition	61.0%
5	Ford Expedition Max	59.2%
6	Hyundai Santa Fe	57.7%
7	Chrysler 300	52.0%
8	Ford Ranger	51.5%
9	Dodge Charger	51.2%
10	Buick Envision	51.1%

 

Vehicle Brands With the Most Excess 2020 Inventory - iSeeCars
Rank	Brand	% 2020 Inventory
1	Ford	48.9%
2	Chrysler	44.1%
3	Dodge	37.5%
4	Buick	31.1%
5	Honda	28.3%
6	Porsche	27.8%
7	BMW	26.3%
8	Nissan	24.7%
9	Chevrolet	22.7%
Overall Average		22.5%

 

Well, for the Escape, Louisville didn't start producing 2021 models until January 4th and then had shutdowns. It's not exactly a surprise that almost all the inventory is 2020s. Expedition was a 12/1 start and Ranger was 12/7. This is much later than normal and is a good part of the explanation.

[Automotive News First Shift: Product hits and misses of 2020]

I've been an interested reader up to now but we also bought a 2020 Escape Titanium Hybrid. I had read the criticism of the start-stop button placement but I'll say in daily (or not daily given the pandemic) driving I don't notice it and don't find it awkward. I agree the car's exterior looks cheaper than it should - the masses of black on the top trim level are not good. The interior (at least in the Titanium with leather and leather steering wheel) is decent but could look better. Quality seems good so far. 

 

The car is great to drive - we also have a 2014 C-MAx and the improvements in the drive experience over that are significant. This Ford hybrid platform has been reliable overall and I do think the hybrid is the best choice for drivetrain overall. Making it an option for the both the SE and SEL trims for 2021 seems like a smart choice. The decontenting on the other hand...