Although it’s not set to be revealed to the public until November 2011 at Los Angeles Auto Show, we have the inside scoop on one major change that’s putting the “new” in the new Ford Escape. It’s all about the EcoBoost® – the Escape will offer the most options of that engine ever in a Ford SUV, with, count ‘em, two four-cylinders: the 2.0-liter and a new-to-the-U.S. 1.6-liter.

Also available will be the 2.5-liter Ti-VCT four-cylinder. The 1.6-liter, by the way? It’s expected to get higher highway fuel economy than even the Escape Hybrid, which is EPA-estimated at 31 mpg.

Also making headlines is more on the plan Ford has to launch the C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in five-passenger hybrids next year in North America. The C-MAX Hybrid will feature the first hybrid transmission and lithium-ion battery system Ford has built in-house, enabling it to deliver a 25 percent improvement in fuel economy as compared to the outgoing Escape Hybrid.

The C-MAX Energi aims for 500-plus miles of driving range using the battery and engine, more than any other plug-in or extended-range vehicle.

Ford developed the new generation of hybrid electric vehicles via its extensive experience with first-generation hybrids, including the Escape Hybrid, the world’s first SUV hybrid. “Using our platform approach to hybridization, developing two choices for customers in the heart of the market with the dedicated, front-wheel-drive Ford C-MAX was our strategy to extend the benefits of hybrid technology to even more customers,” said Derrick Kuzak, Group Vice President, Global Product Development. Ford takes very seriously the fact that today, fuel economy is 2.5 times more important to American customers than environmental concerns when it comes to buying a vehicle.

So, to recap: the largest-ever EcoBoost engine lineup, the C-MAX Hybrid to make crazy-good fuel economy and Ford delivering electrified vehicles that are both attainable and meeting real people’s needs. That’s news you can use!