Ford Won’t Build Hybrid in Ohio

CLEVELAND —  With sales decreasing, Ford Motor Co. has decided not to build a hybrid version of the Escape sport utility vehicle at its Ohio assembly plant, the automaker said.

Ford had been considering building the hybrid Escape at the plant in suburban Avon Lake alongside the regular Escape, which will go into production there next summer.

The hybrid Escape will use a small gasoline engine supplemented by an electric motor. Ford officials say it will offer the power of an SUV but use less gasoline. Sales of the regular Escape have dropped 14.4% this year through November, according to J.D. Power and Associates.

With a plant in Missouri that builds the Escape not working at full capacity, it didn’t make sense to build hybrids in Avon Lake, said Roman Krygier Jr., Ford’s group vice president for manufacturing and quality.

“Demand has dropped off. That was the reason,” he said.

The Escape will be built in Avon Lake by about 800 workers laid off earlier this year when Ford discontinued the Mercury Villager and Nissan Quest minivans.

In exchange for $36 million in state tax incentives and grants, Ford promised in August to keep those workers on the job for seven years.