During the early days of hybrids, potential buyers worried about performance problems or the reliability of the battery pack. Those days are long gone, and hybrids have a proven track record of safety and reliability. Now, for Sherif Marakby, Ford's director of electrification programs and engineering, it’s all about bringing down the cost.
With a host of new gas-electric offerings in the works, you'd think that Ford executives would be pretty optimistic about the climate for hybrids—but evidently that's not the case.
Ford today announced that its new 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid will be priced at $35,180—exactly the same as the standard gasoline version. Hybrid sales could skyrocket if other carmakers offer hybrids with little or no price premium—especially if gas prices climb. Why would a shopper buy the lower-mpg version of a car if the higher-mpg hybrid costs the same?
Lincoln announced that the fuel efficiency rating for their first ever hybrid, the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, is now official: 41 mpg rating in city driving and 36 mpg on the highway. The official EPA rating makes it the most fuel-efficient luxury sedan in America, although it won't hold that distinction for long.
