Local TV reports Ford Kuga to be made in Louisville
When Ford began laying out its plan to build European product over here, Ford's Louisville assembly plant was tipped to build the Euro Focus. But according to sources who spoke to Louisville's NBC affiliate Wave3, the plant will actually be getting the Ford Kuga. It's a coup for the plant's roughly 3,000 employees, who currently build the slow-selling Explorer and its siblings, to now have an undeniably anticipated vehicle to look forward to.
Ford and city and state authorities have been negotiating the fate of the two plants for a while. The truck plant was reportedlysafe, but the assembly plant's future was uncertain. Ford has said it will spend over $100 million to retool both of its Louisville plants - it also has a truck plant there that makes Super Duty F-Series vehicles - which will save 6,000 jobs. The conversion is expected to take six months and probably won't be ready until 2011. A Ford spokeswoman had no comment on reports about the Kuga. Hat tip to Juan
Gallery: First Drive: 2008 Ford Kuga
[Source: Wave3]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
ipodrulz 12:04PM (3/01/2009)
Is it me? Or does the side remind you of the X3?
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alexander 12:18PM (3/01/2009)
in fact is a carbon copy of nissan qashqai:
http://www.km77.com/00/nissan/qashqai/gra/017.jpg
rooster 1:26PM (3/01/2009)
Wrong aspect ratios, front and rear shapes, etc. It fits the small CUV mold, as does the Nissan. Beyond that, not so much
nagmashot 1:40AM (3/02/2009)
@alexander
the Ford Kuga design is based on the Iosis-X concept car first time shown 2005... one year befor the Nissan Qashqai was presented to public in 2006.
I always have to lol about JDM fans trying hard to claim that the rest of the world copy from the copykings..
Randy 3:35PM (3/02/2009)
@alexander
Other than these differences...
Hood line (more of a line on the Niss)
Back Side windows (offset shape)
Back quarter windows (tapers different)
Front Side Windows (shape)
Hood to Quarter Section Front
Hood to Quarter Section Back
Front facsia (yeah totally different)
Front lighting assembly (totally different and the Ford blends into quarters more)
Hood (Ford has grooved lines and different length)
Roof (slopes more on Nissan)
Side Paneles (lower lines on Ford)
Friend they have a siluetto but they don't look anything alike!
Given the amount of differences I don't believe these are sharing a single piece!
Sorry....
Bill 12:05PM (3/01/2009)
Good for them! Nice vehicle. What the Escape should be.
Go Ford!
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AMcA 1:19PM (3/01/2009)
Yeah, what does happen to the Escape? Does it remain for the buyer who wants smaller, but still kinda butch?
zamafir 1:39PM (3/01/2009)
Yup it's fantastic news, just as good looking as the tiguan but without the crazy price tag, I'm glad ford's transitioning to their better driving/better looking euorpean models for the North American market place.
why not the LS2LS7? 1:58PM (3/01/2009)
Oh yeah. That plug where the ignition key should be is incredibly classy. Normally you'd have to go all the way to Europe to get something as great as that.
Sea Urchin 2:30PM (3/01/2009)
Why not just sell this SUV in USA as an Escape, saving money and research costs.
Jim 3:11PM (3/01/2009)
"Yeah, what does happen to the Escape?"
this *will* be the Escape. the Kuga name won't carry over to the US; partly 'cos of the similarity to Cougar, and partly 'cos they want to keep the Escape nameplate.
David 10:13PM (3/01/2009)
One of my French car mags did a head-to-head of the Tiguan vs. the Kuga a few months back. The Kuga won out, slightly. It's a nice car!
Maybe I missed this, but does the Kuga being made here necessarily mean it will also be sold here? Perhaps it's a dumb question, but I was looking for the statement to that effect, but never saw it.
KT 12:18PM (3/01/2009)
Pretty sure the Kuga is built on the Focus platform, so they should be able to build both vehicles there if they make a flexible system.
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P.V. 12:25PM (3/01/2009)
Very true. I'm excited to see both vehicles over here.
cxvargas 12:39PM (3/01/2009)
I hope they don't wait for the Kuga to be 3 to 4 years old in Europe to start selling it in the US.
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adam 12:58PM (3/01/2009)
the kuga is about a year and a half away from actual production. it will merge with the escape, or rather the escape will die and then the kuga here will be called escape to hold the name value.
the current kuga is built on the c1 platform shared with the euro focus. both the kuga and usa focus are moving to the new c2 platform before going on the market here. so the kuga(escape) will have a refresh before landing on US soil.
Pablo 1:09PM (3/01/2009)
I would never buy a US car, but something like this proves why is all this situation going on.
Look at the looks of this car and compare it to the crap they sell here.
This car would be something really nice to own and not the ugly interiors/exteriors that they have for US and Canada.
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the vegas style guy 1:11PM (3/01/2009)
Oh shut up.
why not the LS2LS7? 1:53PM (3/01/2009)
huh?
Matt 3:45PM (3/01/2009)
Fully agree Pablo. Ford has been selling their absolute worst products here for years. Year after year we have been subjected to their North American JUNK...ugly exteriors and dime-store interiors, while the Europeans get truly world class vehicles.
I am glad Ford is ditching the appliances they sell here for the far superior European products. It is a slap in the face to see Ford...an American company, sell their best products everywhere but America...but yet who was sitting before the American Congress not too long ago...?