With talk of GM and Chrysler possibly going into chapter 11 bankruptcy, Ford seems to have put some distance between them and their failing foes. So what is Ford doing different in a market that seems to keep spinning downward?
While Chrysler is trying to figure out which models to get rid of, Ford is taking a step in the other direction by introducing 3 new models for 2010: the Escort, Fusion hybrid, and the Transit connect. The Escort is to be a plug in vehicle with estimated 100 MPG , look for it in the fall of 2010. The Fusion Hybrid is on it’s way to dealers now and boasts 41 MPG city and 36 highway. The Transit connect is a mini cargo van that has that euro look to it. The transit connect is rated MPG is 22 city and 25 highway.
According to Ford CEO Alan Mulally “In 10 years, 12 years, you are going to see a major portion of our portfolio move to electric vehicles” Ford has outlined plans for a range of battery-powered and hybrid vehicles over the next several years but the comments by Mulally represented one of the clearest indications of the automaker's longer-term plans for electric car technology.
In recent weeks, the No. 2 U.S. automaker has announced plans to introduce a battery-powered commercial van in 2010. The stakes are high because Ford's stepped-up investment is coming at a time when the U.S. government is demanding steep increases in fuel economy and has put money forward to help automakers adopt new fuel-saving technologies.
"Ten years is going to come very quickly and I think we'll have a significant improvement in the fuel efficiency in the internal combustion engine," Mulally said in response to a question about what Ford expected a decade from now.
Mulally said Ford was committed to shifting away from its recent reliance on light trucks for 60 percent or more of its sales so that more fuel-efficient passenger cars dominate.
"We can now make cars in the United States and we can do it profitably," he said.
The global recession has brought gas prices in the United States down sharply from peak levels of last summer, but Mulally said Ford was building a strategy around longer-term energy scarcity.
"Over time, we are going to see ever-increasing prices for energy," he said.
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That blog post referencing the "Escort Hybrid" dates from 2007. We do not make the Escort, nor do we have plans to make it a plug-in hybrid.
ReplyDeleteYou can find out exactly what we're doing by checking out our electrification strategy.
We are rolling out a complete redesign of the Taurus for 2010, however.
Scott Monty
Global Digital Communications
Ford Motor Company