Car shoppers in Buffalo looking for a 2026 Ford Escape are out of luck. The gas-powered SUV cannot be purchased or registered in New York because it fails to meet the state’s emissions standards, and buying one out of state would still leave it unable to pass a New York emissions inspection.
The Escape’s disappearance from New York lots is a direct result of the state’s Advanced Clean Cars II rule, which set a goal of 35% of new vehicle sales being zero-emission by 2026 and 100% by 2035, according to Spectrum News 1. New York adopted the rule under an exception federal law grants to California, letting states impose their own tougher emissions standards, a legal window that has since become the center of a sprawling multi-state court fight. Ford has also discontinued the Escape model altogether, adding another layer to why the vehicle simply isn’t an option for New York buyers right now.
One unnamed New York dealership told Spectrum News 1 it estimates losing around 100 sales just from being unable to offer the Escape. Paul Stasiak, president of the Niagara Frontier Auto Dealers, described the broader climate to the outlet by saying the auto industry is experiencing another wave of technological change, and that the public does not yet want the clean-car narrative forced on it.
A Regulatory Pause Meets a Federal Lawsuit
The rules themselves were issued in 2022, but real-world adoption has lagged far behind the targets. Fewer than 10% of new vehicle sales in New York were zero-emission in 2024, meaning the state would have needed roughly a 300% year-over-year jump in EV adoption just to hit its 35% quota for Model Year 2026, according to a New York State Senate memo tied to Senate Bill S8099. The state also missed its own statutory milestone of 850,000 light-duty zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025, with only 323,673 EVs registered statewide as of this past February, per Environmental Advocates NY…