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Ford foresees electric, hybrid sales jolt
New alternative-fuel plans to help meet 10-year, 25% forecast
Dearborn -- Ford Motor Co. says hybrids and other electric vehicles will account for as much as 25 percent of its global vehicle sales by 2020.
Ford will take another big step toward that goal today at the Geneva Motor Show, where it is expected to announce that it will bring two new hybrids, a plug-in hybrid and two all-electric vehicles to Europe by 2013.
These will be the same vehicles Ford has promised to deliver to U.S. showrooms by 2012. The Europeans will get them six to 12 months later.
As in the United States, the first one will be a battery-powered version of the Ford Transit Connect Electric, which will be available to commercial customers in Europe next year.
"There is no question in our mind at this point that oil, as the only alternative for our vehicles, is not a good business strategy," said Nancy Gioia, Ford's director of global electrification. "Around the world by 2020, we see 10 to 25 percent of the Ford fleet electrified."
Gioia said most of these vehicles will be hybrids, which she expects will account for about 70 percent of that mix. About 20 percent will be plug-in hybrids.
Gioia stressed that these are rough estimates and said Ford's global vehicle strategy will allow the automaker to increase or decrease output of all three as the market dictates.
New alternative-fuel plans to help meet 10-year, 25% forecast
Dearborn -- Ford Motor Co. says hybrids and other electric vehicles will account for as much as 25 percent of its global vehicle sales by 2020.
Ford will take another big step toward that goal today at the Geneva Motor Show, where it is expected to announce that it will bring two new hybrids, a plug-in hybrid and two all-electric vehicles to Europe by 2013.
These will be the same vehicles Ford has promised to deliver to U.S. showrooms by 2012. The Europeans will get them six to 12 months later.
As in the United States, the first one will be a battery-powered version of the Ford Transit Connect Electric, which will be available to commercial customers in Europe next year.
"There is no question in our mind at this point that oil, as the only alternative for our vehicles, is not a good business strategy," said Nancy Gioia, Ford's director of global electrification. "Around the world by 2020, we see 10 to 25 percent of the Ford fleet electrified."
Gioia said most of these vehicles will be hybrids, which she expects will account for about 70 percent of that mix. About 20 percent will be plug-in hybrids.
Gioia stressed that these are rough estimates and said Ford's global vehicle strategy will allow the automaker to increase or decrease output of all three as the market dictates.