Ford annouces it will build Hybrid, Plug-In Hybrid, and Electric versions of Ford Focus

So are going to see a 50mpg Hybrid Focus as the first real competitor to the Prius any time soon?

 

yes after the plug in prius is already on the road for 10years.

 

Ford seems to be taking a page from Microsoft's playbook- don't buy a Prius Plug-In or a Nissan Leaf. Someday we'll have equivalent models (although a Focus isn't exactly a match for the Prius).

 

I think you guys are selling Ford a bit short. Remember, they have a very fine hybrid on the road now. I do not see that it would take long to introduce the system in other vehicles. I have to respect Ford. They did not accept the bail-out, and I wish them the best. They appear to have good management right now. They are enjoying increased market share too.

Competition will be good for everyone.

 

I was thinking more of the plug-in hybrid and the EV. I should have been clearer. On the other hand, their commitment to their hybrid system seems weak. When they had their secret recall of the Fusion and Milan hybrids to address the braking programming issue, they had sold only 20,000 of them. Ford's for their hybrids are so much higher than their non-hybrids I doubt many people bother to look at them.
Of course, I don't want a blue, green, black, silver or white vehicle next. I love my blue Prius but gold and red are out for any Ford hybrid.

 

I did look it up and you are quite right ... "fantastic."

If Ford puts it's hybrid technology into the Focus, the "car game" will become very interesting.

 

Has Ford have reached too an agreement on the supply under license of hybrid technology used in the Toyota Prius ?

 

I sure hope Ford doesn't take a page from Microsoft ... the company that literally invented the blue screen of death. The article states the PHEV and pure EV versions will be (appx) in 2012. Still two years away? Wow ... That's the kind of "years" advantage Toyota got over other companies when it began making millions of hybrids as (for the most part) the U.S. manufacturers simply stood by. Yes, Ford did come out with the escape ... but for years ... that was it. I'm thinking that by two years, the Leaf may be all over the landscape. And isn't the focus a crackerbox comparred to the Leaf's cargo space? Those kinds of issues will make it a tough row to hoe for Ford.

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Ford isn't using Toyota parts on the focus hybrid. Ford and Toyota have cross licensing agreements where Toyota gets access to Ford's diesel Technology and Ford gets access to Toyota's hybrid technology. Toyota is majority shareholder in Panasonic EV and uses these batteries. The focus will use Toyota hybrid technology but not battery technology.

I totally agree that the Focus is not a prius. The Focus is built mainly for ice use, but hybrid, phv, and bev consideration. The prius is designed as a hybrid, with a slight consideration to phv. It's common tactic in the automotive world to announce products before they are available. Ford is even advertising the bev with a focus prototype on the Jay Leno show. The Leaf and Prius Plug-In also are not available for consumers yet either.

IMHO ford will help push the technology forward. More vendors working on the problem make it more likely that someone comes up with a good solution. IMHO ford did a better job with its hybrid drive train with the fussion than toyota did on their Camry. Maybe the focus plug in hybrid will be the car the civic hybrid should have been. Leaf still isn't out, so I can't comment on how big of a lead they will have. I don't think bmw with its electric mini shipping has any lead on the leaf. I am sure gm and ford are a little behind in the electric car battle, but the market is small right now. More choices, especially with the government subsidy may get us to the efficient vehicles that we need.

 

The hybrid, phv, and electric focus as well as the batteries will be made in Michigan. These are subsidized by the US taxpayer so the jobs should stay here. The normal Focus will be produced in multiple countries.

The Nissan leaf production will be moved to Tennessee for the American market. This car will also be subsidized by the US taxpayer.

 

One very likely vehicle to get a hybrid drivetrain first: the Ford Grand C-Max wagon. Imagine a Grand C-Max with the 2.0-liter I-4 running in Atkinson cycle mode in a hybrid drivetrain generating about 160-170 bhp total power.

Mind you, Ford is also seriously researching cleaning up their Duratorq turbodiesel engines to meet US emission laws, and that could mean we could see the Grand C-Max in the US market with a 150 bhp turbodiesel engine (and huge torque peak) that could give that vehicle fuel economy approaching 40 mpg!

 

The market is small because the INVENTORY is small. And as for the Mini EV? It's not even a real production EV in the normal sense. Rather, mini buys AC propulsion EV guts.

http://www.acpropulsion.com/index.html

THAT's why Mini only made a few hundred ev's ... they're not geared up to make 10's of thousands. THAT's why Mini's all got snapped up quick ... because the market is NOT small ... even though the LEASE (ONLY ... not for sale) is $850. If you want AC propulsion in a REAL car (ie; NOT one that has no back seat, because the space is full of batteries) they put their EV guts in the scion:



http://www.acpropulsion.com/eBox%20specsheet.pdf

Room for more than two, PLUS cargo room. Even my 6'-5" frame will fit. Over $50K and YOU provide the scion shell. (salvage yard, maybe $3,500). So hey Ford ... build it already!

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If you look at the supply side, production will still be very small though 2013. I'll leave it to you to decide if the forecasts are wrong or if the car companies should be investing more in capacity now.

You are too tall to drive most sports cars We agree that there is a need for more ev's. It takes around 5 years for ford to go from idea to manufacturing a car. They claim they are driving it down to 3 years.

 

Is Ford still using licensed Toyota hybrid technology? Sssh. Maybe it's a secret.