In Japan, as in many countries throughout Asia, the Ford Escape is among the most well-known Ford products and a centrepiece of the company's customer acclaimed line up of SUVs. Known as the Maverick in China and other select market in Asia, the compact sport-utility vehicle was launched to customers in Asia in 2001 and is now among Ford's best-selling vehicles both in Japan and the Asia Pacific region.
The Escape/Maverick has always offered customers a nearly ideal mix of functionality and overall drivability—a small, sportier sport-utility vehicle (SUV) that provides the comfort and overall drivability customers demand for in-city driving while delivering the toughness and capability to perform equally well off-road. The four-door SUV offers good value in the market place, both affordable to purchase and economical to drive.
But with any good vehicle, there is always more to be had.
This new Equator Concept offers a glimpse of the future for Ford compact SUVs, designed to make everyday seem like a weekend. The new concept was developed in Ford's Lio Ho Design Technology Center in Taipei, Taiwan.
The Equator Concept celebrates the more sporty side of Ford's best-selling small SUV and, in the words of Ford Asia Pacific and Africa Chief Design er Paul Gibson, "is certainly a lot more track than it is truck."
Exterior design anticipating a high-performance, sporty drive
The Equator Concept incorporates a new body trim that expressly demonstrates its athletic capabilities and aerodynamics. The new grille, with its enlarged air intake, and the new hood convey the visual appeal of the engine within. The sleek headlamps were developed working with the research and development team at TYC Brother Industrial.
The front end and new hood are complemented by well-defined body panels and a new skirt for the bodywork that visually lowers the vehicle and provides a more aerodynamic appearance. The Equator Concept's overall dimensions are: height 179.8 cm (70.8 inches); length 442.4 cm (174.2inches) and width 178.0 cm (70.1 inches). The wheelbase at 262.0 cm (102.4 inches) is unchanged from current Escape.
An aggressive, street-oriented wheel-and-tire package features 255/50R-19 Michelin tires and unique 10-spoke wheels with a "Chrome Shadow" finish composed of four unique layers of paint.
The design team chose a paint they named, "First Light Orange" for the show vehicle. The deep, bright color was chosen to replicate the colors of the sun rising over the open waters in the early morning hours on the Earth's equator.
