Ford New Zealand and Audi New Zealand have announced aggressive price adjustments for a variety of their flagship electric SUVs.
Ford has announced substantial discounts on its Escape plug-in hybrid midsize SUV, both its base model and its ST-X flagship, enhancing the model’s prospects in its segment.
Ford’s local division has slashed $5,000 from the price of each model, bringing the base grade to $57,990 and the sportier appearing ST-X to $63,990. Both models are eligible for the $5,750 Clean Car Discount rebate the government offers on new PHEVs.
Both trims feature a 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder gasoline engine mated to an electric motor and a 14.4kWh lithium-ion battery, with 167kW/300Nm of output and a range of up to 59km per charge. Both variants are front-wheel drive only.
The base Escape PHEV comes standard with a comprehensive safety package that includes radar cruise control, an 8-inch display, a 12-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless charging, and more.
The ST-X, on the other hand, features additional safety technology (such as a front camera and tyre pressure monitoring), parking assist, a 10-speaker B&O sound system, heated seating, and a number of exterior modifications emphasizing its sportier demeanor.
The Escape PHEV’s main rivals are the $52,990 MG HS PHEV and $47,290 Toyota RAV4 hybrid.
The Escape plug-in also competes with the Nissan X-Trail ePower, an SUV with a hybrid system that uses two electric motors to power the wheels at all times, with the gasoline engine functioning as a generator.
The ePower is available in two specification levels: $62,990 for the ST-L 4WD and $66,600 for the Ti-L. The duo of ePower vehicles are the most expensive of those listed, but it is important to note that they both come standard with four-wheel drive.
The announcement follows a busy few months for the Escape brand. Ford Australia recently announced that the model will shortly be phased out of its market; however, Ford New Zealand has confirmed that it will not follow suit.
Meanwhile, Audi has introduced ‘run-out pricing’ for its completely electric e-tron lineup, with each model receiving a discount of more than $20,000 off its retail price.
The price of the standard e-tron 55 has decreased by $20,250 to $139,900, while the prices of the two Sportback variants – the 55 and the S – have decreased by $20,650 and $21,500, respectively, to $153,900 and $169,900.
Both e-tron 55 models are equipped with the same 300kW/561Nm powertrain, 95kWh lithium-ion battery, and Quattro all-wheel drive. The Sportback has the greatest range of the two vehicles, at 452 km.
The Sportback S is slightly more powerful than the two 55s. It utilizes the same battery, but has a more potent 370kW/973Nm powertrain that can accelerate to 100kph in 4.5 seconds.
The e-tron competes with the BMW iX3, Mercedes-Benz EQC, and Jaguar I-Pace in the same market segment. The iX3 is the least expensive of the group, starting at $118,900.