DETROIT, Jan. 11, 2000 - The all-new Ford Escape - with unibody construction and go-anywhere four-wheel-drive capabilities - provides refined ride and handling, an outstanding package, good fuel economy and low emissions in a small, tough SUV that's versatile enough for the most active lifestyles and easily maneuverable in urban traffic.

Introduced today at the 2000 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Ford's newest sport utility vehicle marks the company's expansion into the growing small SUV segment. Sales in that segment have more than doubled in the United States in the last four years, from 1995 sales of 250,000 vehicles to well over 500,000 through the end of 1999.

"Ford pioneered the modern SUV market with the Explorer in 1991. Since then, SUV sales in the U.S. have climbed an average of 17 percent per year," explains Jim O'Connor, Ford Division president and vice president of Ford Motor Company. "The 2001 Escape provides a logical extension of the Ford SUV family and will help us maintain our proven leadership by providing customers with a bold new choice in the small SUV market."

The new Ford Escape, smaller than the best-selling Ford Explorer, is designed to appeal to younger buyers as well as the "young at heart" - drivers who want fun, agile, sporty, durable yet affordable transportation for their active lifestyles.

The 2001 Ford Escape offers customers:

• Nimble maneuverability
• Sport styling with rugged capability for off-road driving
• Most spacious interior package in its class at 132.9 cubic feet with versatility for carrying cargo as well as passengers
• Driving safety and confidence
• A capable vehicle designed, tested and built to Ford truck standards

"We believe Escape will appeal to a wide variety of consumers, including those who have not owned an SUV before, but whose life's activities now require the space and versatility that an SUV provides. Those people might not consider a larger SUV, but Escape will provide them with the perfect solution," says O'Connor. "Whether they are young singles, newlyweds, small families or empty nesters, the Escape will be an affordable and fun option that will allow them to do all of the things that they enjoy such as skiing, camping and biking."