Ford lobs initial driveaway pricing for Escape

FORD Australia is aiming to stimulate sales of its all-new Escape medium SUV through a pair of measures, the first being its virtual ‘Desk Drive’ initiative, and the second being initial driveaway pricing for some of its most popular variants.

 

The introductory driveaway pricing scheme applies to three variants, starting with the entry-level Escape FWD, which will initially ask $36,490 driveaway instead of $35,990 plus on-road costs, as was detailed when the Blue Oval first revealed pricing in February.

 

The mid-spec ST-Line has also been offered with driveaway pricing, asking $38,990 and $41,990 driveaway respectively for the FWD and AWD grades, instead of $37,990/$40,990 plus costs.

 

As for the remaining variants – the Vignale FWD, Vignale AWD and ST-Line PHEV – recommended retail pricing remains.

 

Another initiative planned by Ford Australia ahead of the Escape’s arrival in local showrooms next month is the Desk Drive program, which can afford potential customers greater access to the cars from their home or workplace.

 

Run via Facebook Live, the Desk Drive program gives customers a live, hosted ‘walkaround’ of the vehicle showing off its key features, much like what would happen normally in a dealership.

 

The walkaround, scheduled to start from mid-November, includes an interactive chat function for viewers to have their questions answered in real time.

 

Ford is using the Desk Drive initiative for the Escape launch following a similar program with the recently introduced Puma, which racked up over 400,000 views earlier this year.

 

Finally, Ford is offering a third incentive for prospective buyers – those who test drive an Escape in-person through November and December and go on to purchase the car will receive a discount of $500.

 

Ford Australia president and CEO Andrew Birkic said the initiative would help make the process of buying an Escape easier.

 

“Through initiatives like our virtual Desk Drive, we have worked with our dealer network to make buying an all-new Escape an easy, informed experience, including special introductory offers and opportunities for Australians to get to know the Escape however and wherever suits them,” he said.

 

The Escape will be the first Ford vehicle offered Down Under with a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain, offering 167kW of power, an all-electric range of over 50km and a combined fuel economy figure of 1.5 litres per 100km.

 

To the end of September, Ford Australia has sold a combined 40,938 units, down 15.8 per cent over the same period last year.