Ford announced yesterday it would raise its annual U.S. production capacity for “electrified” vehicles – hybrids and plug-in hybrids – from 35,000 to over 100,000 by 2013. While the Focus EV is due later this year, the spotlight was also on four other hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Central among these will be Ford’s five-passenger C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid which for the first time were announced that they would be offered in North America. A seven-passenger ICE version slated for the U.S. however will not be offered.
During the introduction of the 2012 Focus at the North American International Auto Show last January, Ford hinted that highway fuel economy could be in the 40 mpg range. Now, Ford has confirmed—sort of—that, indeed, the Focus would deliver 40 mpg highway mileage.
Last year was the worst for auto sales in decades, but might be recorded in history as the breakthrough year for gas-electric hybrids and other small efficient cars. Connect the dots from global sales stats.
In the past, the Detroit auto show was all about theater. Pulsating music, fog machines, and sexy models. Some of that remains, but at this year’s show, starting next week, automakers are getting real. After years of spending millions of dollars on glitzy displays but fighting higher efficiency standards, car companies are finally putting their energies into the battle for leadership in advanced fuel-saving technology.
In a dramatic sign of the profound transformation under way in the auto industry, Ford said today it will invest $550 million to retool its Wayne, Mich. assembly plant to produce fuel-efficient compact cars and electric-drive vehicles. The plant formerly made Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigators SUVs.
