2013 Ford Escape drives off assembly line with Faurecia interior and emissions control technology

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As the 2013 next-generation Ford Escape begins rolling off the assembly line in Louisville, Ky., it carries Faurecia technology both inside and under the vehicle. 

A new 200,000-square-foot Faurecia Interior Systems plant in Louisville is producing the Escape's instrument panel with advanced techniques that contribute to improved fuel economy. The Escape is the first Faurecia program that employs Mucell® injection technology, a production methodology in which gas is added into the molded plastic part during injection. The result is an instrument panel that is 10 percent lighter, since less plastic is used, while retaining top-quality performance.

The instrument panel for the Escape is the largest automotive component molded using the Mucell® process and has earned Faurecia and Ford the Grand Award from the Society of Plastics Engineers for the most innovative use of automotive plastics. The Faurecia Interior Systems plant manufactures the instrument panels and assembles the cockpits for the Escape.

At the same time, Faurecia Emissions Control Technologies plants in Franklin, Ohio, and Hermosillo, Mexico, are producing a full lightweight exhaust system for the 2013 Escape. Together, the facilities are manufacturing a complete exhaust line that includes a transverse muffler that accommodates the Escape's small SUV design.

Faurecia is part of Ford's global Aligned Business Framework (ABF), a preferred supplier network that plays a key role in Ford's global sourcing plans, working with the automaker to drive mutual profitability and technology development.  

"Faurecia's priority has been the development of innovative technology to support the new generation of lightweight, high-mileage vehicles," said Faurecia North America President Mike Heneka. "The all-new 2013 Ford Escape incorporates many of these technologies as it introduces a new design and new capabilities that appeal to a wide-ranging consumer market. Faurecia is proud to be a Ford ABF supplier and to have the opportunity to share the innovative spirit that makes vehicles like the 2013 Escape a reality."

The 2013 Escape is Ford's newest sport utility vehicle and is designed to provide better fuel economy, up to 23 mpg city and 33 mpg highway, than any other vehicle of its kind on the market.

About Faurecia
Faurecia is the world's sixth-largest automotive equipment supplier with four key Business Groups: Automotive Seating, Emissions Control Technologies, Interior Systems and Automotive Exteriors. In 2011, the Group posted total sales of $22.5 billion. Faurecia employs 84,000 people in 33 countries at 270 sites and 40 R&D centers. Faurecia is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris stock exchange. For more information, visit: www.faurecia.com.

About Faurecia North America
Faurecia North America had sales of $4.8 billion in 2011. The Group has 36 production sites in the United States, Canada and Mexico and employs more than 17,000 people in the region. It has five technical and development centers, situated in Auburn Hills (2), Holland and Troy, Mich., and in Columbus, Ind., as well as customer centers in Southfield, Mich., and Toledo, Ohio.

For the latest updates on Faurecia activities throughout North America, connect with the company on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/faureciaNA), Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/faurecia_NA) and Pinterest (http://www.Pinterest.com/FaureciaNA).

SOURCE Faurecia