25,000 reasons to the hate the Fusion hybrid
The greatest car Ford doesn't really want to sellThe best hybrid ever. I've now heard numerous reporters, stock analysts and Ford fans claim the Fusion hybrid is the best hybrid ever made. More fuel efficient than the similarly sized Toyota Camry hybrid and funner than the Prius.
Whatever.
If the Fusion hybrid is better than the Prius, then why isn't Ford going to even try to outsell the Prius, or even the Camry hybrid for that matter?
Why is Ford only going to sell 25,000 units of the greatest hybrid ever made according to so many?
Even in this horrible auto market the Prius is on pace for over 3 times that sales output. However, when the 2010 Prius goes on sale next month, that output is certain to increase.
Unfortunately, until Ford gets serious about developing battery supply chains for its hybrid vehicles, Ford's hybrids are pretty much irrelevant. Having a great car that no one can buy really isn't that great, is it?
Labels: Ford fusion hybrid, Hybrid Vehicles, toyota prius
posted by Dahcredyns at
5:52 AM
7 Comments:
Well, let's give Ford a credit. Ford Fusion hybrid is probably a good car. And I love the competition: the more hybrids are produced, the lower are the prices.
The question is reliabiliy :-)
Toyota's quality is legendary, while Ford is commonly translated as Fix Or Repair Daily.
In September 2005 Ford announced that by the end of the decade (2010) they would be producing 250,000 hybrids. And also said that more than 1/2 Ford Lincoln and Mercury products would be hybrid capable. Ford's CEO also said new Flex-Fuel versions of the F-150, Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis and Town Car in 2006 for a total production of some 250,000 E85-capable vehicles by 2006.
By 2006 Ford Chairman William C. Ford Jr. dropped that pledge. In a letter to employees, Ford said the 250,000 goal was "too narrow" to achieve substantial improvements in vehicle fuel economy or curb carbon dioxide emissions. AND HERE THEY GO AGAIN. I am afraid Ford doesn't want to succeed!
In 2008 I had decided to get a hybrid vehicle. But Ford did a crazy thing, they upgraded Ford Escape Hybrids' looks but not the engine and the brakes that would happen next year. I had to wait until June to order one since they were ONLY MAKING 25,000. And the funny thing is YOU CAN'T JUST GO INTO ANY FORD DEALER AND ORDER A HYBRID!!! You have to search, and call to find out if the dealer has allocation! Allocation is how many that dealership can sell, sometimes 0 or only or 2 or 3! What silliness is this?? I think the big 3 are mismanaged! I didn't get my vehicle until October 15th. Sad!
By the way I average 33-35 mpg highway, over their proposed 29.
LB-
The Fusion hybrid is great. I thought the Ford Escape hybrids was, and is, a pretty solid SUV as well, and I have no worries about the reliability of these hybrids.
Still, after years of hybrid production, Ford has not yet developed a quality battery supply chain.
These hybrids are PR-driven placeholders as Ford figures out its hybrid game plan.
I think that they are not really profitable yet.
They haven't been terribly profitable for Toyota yet either, but they are getting there - if not there already - because Toyota made a strategic decision about its future products.
What you're saying about the Fusion hybrid is that it's about nothing more than PR.
Moreover, it's possible - as GM did with the Tahoe hybrid - that there are many extra things Ford did to make the Fusion hybrid more fuel efficient - not related to the hybrid drive - that were not also implemented in the conventional Fusion because of expense. For instance, using lighter, more expensive parts.
That's easy to do when production is limited, but it doesn't make sense when you're scaling up production. I'm not saying Ford did this, but the possibility exists.
Ultimately, it's just too hard to take this car seriously when production is capped at such a small number.
Look at the gas mileage numbers on the non hybrid 2010 fusion/milan. Best in class. They translated what they learned on developing the hybrid. As for the fusion hybrid being nothing but PR. I really enjoyed driving the PR to work this morning and getting 54.5 mpg over my 25 mile commute.
don't get me wrong, drew, i love the fusion hybrid.
i loved the ford escape hybrid several years ago. yet, after several years, Ford is still only producing 25,000 of these vehicles.
Toyota is on track to make 500,000 hybrids this year. Ford is going to make 50,000 hybrids. that's what i'm criticizing.
ford should be trying to get this fantastic hybrid technology into as many consumer hands as possible, yet i don't think you'll see such an effort for years.
thus, how can you argue that this isn't more about PR, instead of sales and hybrid technology scalability?
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