Ford hybrids: Makes me wanna holler
How many Focus hybrids will Ford make?The Ford Escape isn't my favorite hybrid vehicle, but for those coveting a fuel efficient SUV, it doesn't get any better than the Escape hybrid, at least for now. And, with gas prices at record highs, SUV drivers are more interested in fuel efficiency than ever. So, why are Escape hybrid sales down 9 percent compared to last year?
According to Ford the automaker will make its standard 24,000 hybrid vehicles this year - a combination of mostly Escape hybrids and a few Mercury Mariner hybrids. Thus, perhaps Ford is using some of its NiMH packs for the upcoming Focus hybrid. Whatever. What seems obvious is that whether it's the Focus hybrid or the Escape hybrid, Ford's hybrid vehicles are going nowhere fast.
Next year, Honda plans to sell well over 100,000 hybrid vehicles, an aggressive increase. And with Toyota's third generation Prius due out next year, Prius sales are certain to skyrocket, as Toyota is planning a 60 percent increase in battery production.
At one time Ford was the one glimmer of hybrid hope amongst US automakers, now Ford just makes me wanna holler.
Labels: Ford Escape hybrid, Hybrid Vehicles
posted by Dahcredyns at
8:16 AM
10 Comments:
How about giving the consumer no choice? Hybrid or nothing. Just make it the norm. It's THE drive train offered. Make them all as such, then the volume may actually drop the price enought to make it very similar in price to the non-hybrid. You don't even have to advertise it as such.
Well, I wouldn't complain. Still, getting enough batteries to convert the entire fleet to hybrids is a bit complicated. Toyota has invested a ton of time and money into NiMH and the supplies needed to develop such batteries, and still they are having a tough time keeping up with demand. Then there are patent issues as well.
Still, how far are automakers willing to go with NiMH if lithium is just around the corner? Economies of scale require such high mass-production numbers in the auto industry that no one wants to be too heavily invested in a technology that might quickly be eclipsed by a significantly better technology.
That's not an excuse and I think it demonstrates just how slow and stagnant big automakers have become.
Since we're talking about hybrid supplies, I just wanted to give an update. I've definitely decided to hold off on purchasing a Hybrid until well into 2009.
Am I right in figuring that the big boost in aggregate hybrid supplies will now come with Honda's planned hybrid introductions? Toyota increasing production for the 3rd gen Prius will help, I hope, and so will the Lexus hybrid. The Lexus should help especially in LA, since the hollywood crowd can all fight over the Lexus Hybrid and leave the regular Prius to us regular folk.
alcatholic-
i don't think the hybrid supply situation could get much worse. there is no doubt a lot of pent up demand waiting for the third generation prius as well as honda's new hybrids, so i wouldn't be surprised to see demand outweigh supply, at least initially. you might want to try to befriend a carsalesperson!!
It is going to take time for all of the automakers to ramp up for hybrid vehicles. Last year most folks had little interest in this type of vehicle. You just can not start making these vehicles. Automakers must pass all the government requirements and have a completely flawless vehicle. Right now you have to buy a Prius or an Escape and pay their asking price. The earlybird usually and will get the worm.
About a year ago the Toyota Prius was the best selling vehicle at my local Toyota dealership in Los Angeles. Likewise, last summer, Escape hybrids were nearly impossible to find in my neck of the woods as well. As Southern California is largely the barometer of the US auto market, somebody should have been paying attention - Toyota was. Honda was.
Toyota and Honda have huge increases in hybrid production planned for within the year and plans to significantly ramp up from there in the next few years. US automakers are still years behind any serious increase in hybrid mass-production. Just a couple of years ago US automakers laughed at Toyota when they claimed they would be selling a million hybrids per year in the early 2010's.
Who is laughing now?
In my opinion, US automakers have been in denial for far too long about fuel economy and the end of the gas-guzzler.
After 9/11, after Iraq/Afghanistan, after Katrina, it should've been obvious that change was once again in the air, but once again US automakers have been caught flat-footed and unprepared. Even after all these events US automakers kept rolling out new editions of their worst gas-guzzlers as they mocked hybrids.
Indigo Incarnates
The thing I don't get is why every passenger vehicle isn't at least a *mild* hybrid. GM has BAS and it's a very simple, inexpensive system that doesn't require many batteries but does increase fuel economy by 2-5 MPG. Toyota has a similar system (in Japan only) called THS-M. If you raised the fleet rating by 3 MPG for under $1,000 each, that would make a HUGE difference in the overall fuel consumtion.
What I'd like to see is all cars being offered as either mild hybrid or full hybrid rather than gas only and hybrid.
i think everything will soon be a mild hybrid. gm seems to be thinking that way with is next gen, lithium powered BAS.
You all seem to be missing the Volvo plugin.
http://www.pmlflightlink.com/news_volvo.html
This is a third generation hybrid. All electric drive and braking, with in wheel motors.
The Volt is second generation, allready out of date.
Note, Volvo are a Ford owned company.
This is based on a demo car built by PML Flightlink, an electric motor manufacture to show what can be done with, 120 Kw (about 150hp) in wheel motors.
http://www.pmlflightlink.com/archive/news_mini.html
you're kidding, right?
i saw the volvo at the detroit auto show this year, it wasn't even a prototype yet.
please, i have a fourth generation hybrid in my head, but that doesn't make it real now, does it?
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