Ford rolls out updated versions of Escape, Mariner

CLAYCOMO, Mo. — A day after announcing the biggest annual loss in its 103-year history, Ford Motor Co. rolled out updated versions of two small sport utility vehicles that are among the keys to the company’s turnaround plans.

The 2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner models, manufactured in Claycomo, a suburb of Kansas City, were unveiled Friday by a delegation that included Ford President and Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally.

On Thursday, Ford said it lost $12.7 billion in 2006 but expected to be profitable again by 2009, as it shifts emphasis from its bulkier SUV lines toward smaller, more fuel-efficient cars and SUVs.

The Claycomo plant “is really, really important,” Mulally said. “Probably the two biggest areas in our product line are the small SUVs, like the Escape and the Mariner, and the F-1 series truck, which has been the No. 1 truck for 30 years.”

Ford invested $100 million in the Claycomo plant to produce the updated Mariner and Escape. The company expects about 20 percent of its sales over the next 20 years to come from its small SUVs and crossovers, Mulally said.

The Claycomo plant also produces the F-150, and on Tuesday gave a sneak preview of a new package that will go on sale later this spring. One company official said the package, variously labeled “midbox” and “Tough Box,” would be targeted to commercial buyers.