It was launched with a , 1.6-liter hemi overhead cam inline-four. It was available as a three-door hatchback and as a five-door station wagon, with a four-speed manual or a three-speed automatic. The five-door hatchback was first shown in May 1981. The North American Escort had considerably more chrome than Escorts sold elsewhere (except for the 1981 SS model and 1982+ GT models which feature blacked out trim). 1981 models never had the blue oval logo; on the front fenders there was an Escort badge which included a globe representing the earth, which implied this was a "world car". The 1981 Escort was available with an "SS" package that included blacked-out trim, a special stripe and decal package, upgraded brakes, and wider tires. The SS package would be replaced with the Escort GT the following year due to an interaction with General Motors Chevrolet SS option package.