(October 5, 2011) Although it’s not set to be revealed to the public until November at the Los Angeles Auto Show, we are told the new Ford Escape will offer two EcoBoost engines for 2013; both four-cylinders: the 2.0-liter now offered in the Edge and Explorer, and a new-to-the-U.S. 1.6-liter. T

he 1.6-liter EcoBoost is currently available in Europe on the Focus and on select C-Max vehicles. Also available will be the 2.5-liter Ti-VCT four-cylinder.

Ford’s plan is to launch the C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi plug-in five-passenger hybrids next year in North America. The C-MAX Hybrid will feature the first hybrid transmission and lighter weight lithium-ion battery system that Ford will built in-house, enabling it to deliver a 25 percent improvement in fuel economy as compared to the outgoing Escape Hybrid, and some inside Ford are convinced the C-Max Hybrid could surpass the fuel mileage of the Fusion sedan now rated at 41 mpg highway.

Ford developed the new generation of hybrid electric vehicles using its extensive experience with first-generation hybrids, including the Escape Hybrid. “Using our platform approach to hybridization, developing two choices for customers in the heart of the market with the dedicated, front-wheel-drive Ford C-MAX was our strategy to extend the benefits of hybrid technology to even more customers,” said Derrick Kuzak, Group Vice President, Global Product Development. Ford takes very seriously the fact that today, fuel economy is 2.5 times more important to American customers than environmental concerns when it comes to buying a vehicle, according to Kuzak.