Last week, Ford Motor Company announced their plans to manufacture more than 100,000 electric and hybrid vehicle models by 2013 for their North American markets, tripling their current production. The all new Ford C-Max, which was originally planned to be produced as gasoline engine as well as hybrid models, will now be solely produced as a hybrid. The C-Max, which was revealed at the 2011 Auto Show, was originally designed to hold seven passengers. With Ford’s new plans for this vehicle, the C-Max Hybrid will only have room for five. The C-Max is modeled after the new 2012 Ford Focus.
Along with the C-Max Hybrid, Ford also plans to release the C-Max Energi. The C-Max Energi is a plug-in hybrid. It features a “240-volt charging system, will be able to fully recharge faster than Chevy Volt and is being engineered to deliver more overall driving range than any other plug-in or extended range electric vehicle” (Ford). Both models of the C-Max are scheduled to be in production by 2012.
You may be wondering why Ford has decided to only produce electric versions of the C-Max when consumers are less willing to purchase more expensive vehicles. Ford will be able to keep prices competitive and possibly even lower than competitors such as the Chevrolet Volt or the Nissan Leaf. This is because Ford plans to design and engineer much of the hybrid’s system in house and in the U.S. “Ford said this year that it expects the cost of hybrid systems it begins offering next year will be 30 percent less expensive than the system that was introduced on the 2010 Ford Fusion .” Ford actually plans to have five “electrified” vehicles for North America by next year. These five vehicles include both models of the C-Max, the Transit Connect Electric, the Focus Electric (coming out later this year) and another vehicle that has not yet been announced.
The C-Max was actually first released in Europe in 2010. Ford states that the 2011 model is “leaving European dealer lots at twice the rate of last year’s model” (Ford). This makes Ford confident that the North American launch of both models will be a success.
What are your thoughts about the new C-Max Hybrid and Ford’s move to cancel production of models with a gasoline engine?
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