New Ford Escape Features Hands-Free Liftgate Activation
L.A. Auto Show will showcase the next generation Ford Escape.
You'll get a kick out of this liftgate technology.
The 2013 Ford Escape is an all-new version of the popular crossover sport utility vehicle, one that will be providing customers a unique way to open the liftgate from outside. Instead of pressing the key fob, a simple back and forth motion of the driver’s leg underneath the rear bumper prompts the liftgate to open.
Activated by Sensors
The next generation Ford Escape will be making its debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show later this month, offering auto show visitors the chance to see Ford’s “gesture-based technology” at work. Ford developed the technology to help people whose arms are filled with groceries, boxes or children, and are unable to access the liftgate without fumbling for their keys.
As long as the key fob is with them — in a purse, pocket or elsewhere on their person — the liftgate is activated. A pair of sensors embedded in the rear bumper detects a person’s shin and leg movement, while also preventing an accidental opening such as when an animal passes underneath it or the Escape hits a bump in the road.
Said Jason Sprawka, Ford Escape brand manager, “The hands-free power liftgate is yet another innovative Ford technology that makes customers lives easier. New Escape owners will be able to load their vehicle without ever having to set packages or gear down.”
New Engine Choices
Ford has many other changes in store for the Escape which has been an important part of the Ford line up since the 2001 model year. New powertrain changes will dominate the model line including two applications of Ford’s EcoBoost technology, offered in 1.6- and 2.0-liter displacements. A standard Duratec 2.5-liter inline-four cylinder engine will power the crossover. Every engine will be paired with a six-speed shiftable automatic transmission.
Nearly 2 million Escapes have been sold since its inception. The all-new model will be based on the automaker’s global C-sized platform, which also underpins the Ford Focus. Ford says that its engines will offer best in class fuel economy with its larger EcoBoost offering higher levels of performance than its competitor’s V-6 engines.
Louisville Factory
The 2013 Ford Escape is closely related to the Ford Kuga, a European designed SUV. These vehicles are being built at plants around the world, with the automaker’s Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky tapped in the United States to build the North American spec Escape. That plant recently completed a $600 million renovation and will add 3,100 jobs to run two new shifts there by the end of 2011.
Auto Trends will provide additional information about the Ford Escape following its November 16 debut at the L.A. Auto Show.
Source: Ford Motor Company
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